Hydrodynamic and geometric effects in the sedimentation of model run-and-tumble bacteria

TL;DR

This study investigates how hydrodynamic interactions and bacterial activity influence sedimentation profiles in active suspensions, revealing collective effects, nonlocal hydrodynamics, and emergent polar order through simulations of run-and-tumble bacteria.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive simulation framework for active bacteria sedimentation, highlighting the role of fluid-mediated correlations and nonlocal effects in non-equilibrium steady states.

Findings

Density profiles deviate from exponential forms at high activity.

Effective temperature concept explains collective effects.

Hydrodynamics induce nonlocal interactions affecting sedimentation.

Abstract

The sedimentation process in a suspension of bacteria is the result of the competition between gravity and the intrinsic motion of the microorganisms. We perform simulations of run-and-tumble "squirmers" that move in a fluid medium, focusing on the dependence of the non-equilibrium steady state on the bacterial swimming properties. We find that for high enough activity, the density profiles are no longer simple exponentials; we recover the numerical results via the introduction of a local effective temperature, suggesting that the breakdown of the Perrin-like exponential form is a collective effect due to the onset of fluid-mediated dynamic correlations among particles. We show that analogous concepts can fit also the case of shakers, for which we report the first study of this kind. Moreover we provide evidences of scenarios where the solvent hydrodynamics induces nonlocal effects which require the fully three-dimensional dynamics to be taken into account in order to understand sedimentation of active suspensions. Finally, analyzing the statistics of the bacterial swimming orientations, we discuss the emergence of polar order in the steady state sedimentation profiles.