Propulsion and far-field hydrodynamics of linked-sphere microswimmers with viscoelastic deformability
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| Auteurs principaux: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866913075648528384 |
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| author | Singh, Vimal Choudhary, Akash |
| author_facet | Singh, Vimal Choudhary, Akash |
| contents | Viscoelasticity governs the locomotion strategies of deformable microorganisms, rendering it a fundamental mechanical property of microbial motility and an integral component in the design of envisioned microbots. Recent studies have shown that it can enable effective propulsion through non-reciprocal body deformations, even under time-reversible actuation. In this work, we investigate the dynamics of model microswimmers driven by reciprocal actuation, wherein the passive body exhibits viscoelastic deformability. We consider two linked-sphere designs, distinguished by the location of actuation: applied at one end (3-sphere design) or at the midpoint of the swimmer body (4-sphere design). Adopting Kelvin-Voigt deformability, we characterize the kinematic performance of both designs: the three-sphere swimmer possesses an optimal actuation frequency, while the four-sphere swimmer exhibits a critical frequency at which the locomotion direction reverses. We examine the swimmer's far-field hydrodynamic signature and find that resulting flow field is characterized by dominant dipolar and quadrupolar contributions, whose magnitudes are sensitive to the relative length of the actuator segment. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_27348 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Propulsion and far-field hydrodynamics of linked-sphere microswimmers with viscoelastic deformability Singh, Vimal Choudhary, Akash Soft Condensed Matter Fluid Dynamics Viscoelasticity governs the locomotion strategies of deformable microorganisms, rendering it a fundamental mechanical property of microbial motility and an integral component in the design of envisioned microbots. Recent studies have shown that it can enable effective propulsion through non-reciprocal body deformations, even under time-reversible actuation. In this work, we investigate the dynamics of model microswimmers driven by reciprocal actuation, wherein the passive body exhibits viscoelastic deformability. We consider two linked-sphere designs, distinguished by the location of actuation: applied at one end (3-sphere design) or at the midpoint of the swimmer body (4-sphere design). Adopting Kelvin-Voigt deformability, we characterize the kinematic performance of both designs: the three-sphere swimmer possesses an optimal actuation frequency, while the four-sphere swimmer exhibits a critical frequency at which the locomotion direction reverses. We examine the swimmer's far-field hydrodynamic signature and find that resulting flow field is characterized by dominant dipolar and quadrupolar contributions, whose magnitudes are sensitive to the relative length of the actuator segment. |
| title | Propulsion and far-field hydrodynamics of linked-sphere microswimmers with viscoelastic deformability |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter Fluid Dynamics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.27348 |