[en] Cilia and flagella exhibit regular bending waves that perform mechanical work on the surrounding fluid,
to propel cellular swimmers and pump fluids inside organisms. Here, we quantify a force-velocity
relationship of the beating flagellum, by exposing flagellated Chlamydomonas cells to controlled
microfluidic flows. A simple theory of flagellar limit-cycle oscillations, calibrated by measurements in
the absence of flow, reproduces this relationship quantitatively. We derive a link between the energy
efficiency of the flagellar beat and its ability to synchronize to oscillatory flows.
Disciplines :
Physics
Author, co-author :
Klindt, Gary; Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden
Ruloff, Christian; Saarland University > Experimental Physics
Wagner, Christian ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication (FSTC) > Physics and Materials Science Research Unit
Friedrich, Benjamin; TU Dresden > Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden cfaed
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
In-phase and anti-phase flagellar synchronization by waveform compliance and basal coupling