Permeation dynamics of active swimmers through anisotropic porous walls

TL;DR

This study investigates how the shape and orientation of obstacles in anisotropic porous environments influence the movement and exchange dynamics of active microswimmers, providing insights into microorganism transport in complex habitats.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of microswimmer permeation through anisotropic obstacle arrays, highlighting the impact of obstacle shape and orientation on swimmer dynamics.

Findings

Anisotropy of obstacles significantly affects swimmer trajectories.

Swimmers exhibit different dynamics depending on obstacle shape and orientation.

The study elucidates the kinetics of microswimmer exchange between compartments.

Abstract

Natural habitats of most living microorganisms are distinguished by a complex structure often formed by a porous medium such as soil. The dynamics and transport properties of motile microorganisms are strongly affected by crowded and locally anisotropic environments. Using \chlamy as a model system, we explore the permeation of active colloids through a structured wall of obstacles by tracking microswimmers' trajectories and analysing their statistical properties. Employing micro-labyrinths formed by cylindrical or elongated pillars, we demonstrate that the anisotropy of the pillar's form and orientation strongly affects the microswimmers' dynamics on different time scales. Furthermore, we discuss the kinetics of the microswimmer exchange between two compartments separated by an array of pillars.