A simple self-organized swimmer driven by molecular motors

TL;DR

This paper presents a minimal model of a self-organized microswimmer composed of three spheres connected by active, oscillating linker arms with molecular motors, capable of spontaneous directed swimming at low Reynolds numbers.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, self-organized microswimmer model driven by molecular motors, demonstrating spontaneous oscillations and directed swimming in viscous fluids.

Findings

The swimmer self-organizes into a directed swimming state.

Oscillations are driven by molecular motors within the linker arms.

The system provides insights into microorganism locomotion mechanisms.

Abstract

We investigate a self-organized swimmer at low Reynolds numbers. The microscopic swimmer is composed of three spheres that are connected by two identical active linker arms. Each linker arm contains molecular motors and elastic elements and can oscillate spontaneously. We find that such a system immersed in a viscous fluid can self-organize into a state of directed swimming. The swimmer provides a simple system to study important aspects of the swimming of micro-organisms.