Bacterial magneto-convection

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• Albane Thery (University of Cambridge)
• Thursday 16 May 2019, 13:00-14:00
• MR11, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Anne Herrmann.

Magnetotactic bacteria are prokaryotic micro-swimmers characterised by their ability to synthetize chains of nano-magnets in their cytoplasm, magnetosomes. They passively align to magnetic lines through magnetic torque, which enables them to be easily controlled remotely. We use microfluidics experiments to explore the self organisation and unsteady dynamics of magnetotactic bacteria AMB1 . A uniform distribution of bacteria under confinement is rendered unstable by the application of a magnetic field perpendicular to channel walls. A state of bacterial magneto-convection results wherein bacterial plumes emerge spontaneously perpendicular to the wall and develop into stable and reproducible self-sustained flow convection cells. Using a theoretical model based on hydrodynamic singularities, we reproduce reproduce the flow field in the bacteria suspension and capture quantitatively the instability as well as the observed long-time growth and merging of the plumes.

This talk is part of the DAMTP BioLunch series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• All CMS events
• BioLunch
• CMS Events
• CamBridgeSens
• Cambridge talks
• DAMTP BioLunch
• DAMTP info aggregator
• Interested Talks
• Life Science Interface Seminars
• MR11, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge
• Trust & Technology Initiative - interesting events
• bld31

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.