Trapping microswimmers in acoustic streaming flow

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sun, Xuyang, Tan, Wenchang, Man, Yi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Sun, Xuyang
Tan, Wenchang
Man, Yi
author_facet Sun, Xuyang
Tan, Wenchang
Man, Yi
contents The acoustofluidic method holds great promise for manipulating microorganisms. When exposed to the steady vortex structures of acoustic streaming flow, these microorganisms exhibit intriguing dynamic behaviors, such as hydrodynamic trapping and aggregation. To uncover the mechanisms behind these behaviors, we investigate the swimming dynamics of both passive and active particles within a two-dimensional acoustic streaming flow. By employing a theoretically calculated streaming flow field, we demonstrate the existence of stable bounded orbits for particles. Additionally, we introduce rotational diffusion and examine the distribution of particles under varying flow strengths. Our findings reveal that active particles can laterally migrate across streamlines and become trapped in stable bounded orbits closer to the vortex center, whereas passive particles are confined to movement along the streamlines. We emphasize the influence of the flow field on the distribution and trapping of active particles, identifying a flow configuration that maximizes their aggregation. These insights contribute to the manipulation of microswimmers and the development of innovative biological microfluidic chips.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_17378
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Trapping microswimmers in acoustic streaming flow
Sun, Xuyang
Tan, Wenchang
Man, Yi
Fluid Dynamics
The acoustofluidic method holds great promise for manipulating microorganisms. When exposed to the steady vortex structures of acoustic streaming flow, these microorganisms exhibit intriguing dynamic behaviors, such as hydrodynamic trapping and aggregation. To uncover the mechanisms behind these behaviors, we investigate the swimming dynamics of both passive and active particles within a two-dimensional acoustic streaming flow. By employing a theoretically calculated streaming flow field, we demonstrate the existence of stable bounded orbits for particles. Additionally, we introduce rotational diffusion and examine the distribution of particles under varying flow strengths. Our findings reveal that active particles can laterally migrate across streamlines and become trapped in stable bounded orbits closer to the vortex center, whereas passive particles are confined to movement along the streamlines. We emphasize the influence of the flow field on the distribution and trapping of active particles, identifying a flow configuration that maximizes their aggregation. These insights contribute to the manipulation of microswimmers and the development of innovative biological microfluidic chips.
title Trapping microswimmers in acoustic streaming flow
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.17378