title: Swimming of a model ciliate near an air-liquid interface.
abstract: In this work, the role of the hydrodynamic forces on a swimming microorganism near an air-liquid interface is studied. The lubrication theory is utilized to analyze hydrodynamic effects within the narrow gap between a flat interface and a small swimmer. By using an archetypal low-Reynolds-number swimming model called "squirmer," we find that the magnitude of the vertical swimming velocity is on the order of O(εlnε), where ε is the ratio of the gap width to the swimmer's body size. The reduced swimming velocity near an interface can explain experimental observations of the aggregation of microorganisms near a liquid interface.
authors.affiliation: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ardekani
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008153:Lubrication; D008954:Models, Biological; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods*; D033081:Shear Strength / Q000502:physiology; D012996:Solutions; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions