title: Self-sustained peristaltic waves: explicit asymptotic solutions.
abstract: A simple nonlinear model for the coupled problem of fluid flow and contractile wall deformation is proposed to describe peristalsis. In the context of the model the ability of a transporting system to perform autonomous peristaltic pumping is interpreted as the ability to propagate sustained waves of wall deformation. Piecewise-linear approximations of nonlinear functions are used to analytically demonstrate the existence of traveling-wave solutions. Explicit formulas are derived which relate the speed of self-sustained peristaltic waves to the rheological properties of the transporting vessel and the transported fluid. The results may contribute to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for cases of peristaltic motility disorders.
authors.affiliation: Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskii pereulok, Dolgoprudny, 141700 Moscow Region, Russia.
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Dudchenko
authors.forename: G Th
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Guria
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D010528:Peristalsis / Q000502:physiology*