Simulations of Odd Microswimmers

TL;DR

This paper uses numerical simulations to study odd microswimmers made of spheres and springs, analyzing how hydrodynamic interactions and sphere sizes affect their average velocity.

Contribution

It introduces simulations of odd microswimmers with different hydrodynamic models and sphere sizes, revealing the impact on swimming velocity.

Findings

Oseen-type mobility reproduces asymptotic velocity expressions

RPY-type mobility yields smaller velocities, especially for larger spheres

Middle sphere size significantly influences average velocity

Abstract

We perform numerical simulations of odd microswimmers consisting of three spheres and two odd springs. To describe the hydrodynamic interaction, both the Oseen-type and the Rotne-Prager-Yamakawa (RPY)-type mobilities are used. For the Oseen-type mobility, the simulation results quantitatively reproduce the asymptotic expression of the average velocity. For the RPY-type mobility, on the other hand, the average velocity is smaller than that of the Oseen-type mobility and the deviation is more pronounced for larger spheres. We also perform simulations of microswimmers having different sphere sizes and show that the average velocity becomes smaller than that of the equal size case. The size of the middle sphere plays an important role in determining the average velocity.