1305.5434 (I. Berdakin et al.)

Quantifying the sorting efficiency of self-propelled run-and-tumble
swimmers by geometrical ratchets    [PDF]

I. Berdakin, A. V. Silhanek, H. N. Moyano, V. I. Marconi, C. A. Condat

It has been recently shown that suitable asymmetric microstructures can be used to achieve microorganism separation. Here we study numerically how the separation process depends on the specific motility strategies of the microorganisms involved. Crucial properties such as the separation efficiency and the separation time for two bacterial strains are precisely defined and evaluated. In particular, the sorting of two bacterial populations inoculated in a box consisting of a series of chambers separated by columns of asymmetric obstacles is investigated and compared to that occurring in a box free of geometrical constraints.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.5434