title: Enhanced motility of a microswimmer in rigid and elastic confinement.
abstract: We analyze the effect of confining rigid and elastic boundaries on the motility of a model dipolar microswimmer. Flexible boundaries are deformed by the velocity field of the swimmer in such a way that the motility of both extensile and contractile swimmers is enhanced. The magnitude of the increase in swimming velocity is controlled by the ratio of the swimmer-advection and elastic time scales, and the dipole moment of the swimmer. We explain our results by considering swimming between inclined rigid boundaries.
authors.affiliation: The Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ledesma-Aguilar
authors.forename: Julia M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yeomans
mesh_terms: D004548:Elasticity; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D008124:Locomotion; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013550:Swimming