Abstract
We describe a new mechanism for Lévy walks, explaining the recently observed superdiffusion of swarming bacteria. The model hinges on several key physical properties of bacteria, such as an elongated cell shape, self-propulsion, and a collectively generated regular vortexlike flow. In particular, chaos and Lévy walking are a consequence of group dynamics. The model explains how cells can fine-tune the geometric properties of their trajectories. Experiments confirm the spectrum of these patterns in fluorescently labeled swarming Bacillus subtilis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 228102 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 118 |
| Issue number | 22 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2 Jun 2017 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2017 American Physical Society.
Funding
We thank Ed Ott for discussions. G.A. acknowledges partial support from the National Science Foundation Research Network on kinetic equations (KI-Net) under Grants No.1107444 and No.1107465; A.B. and G.A. acknowledge partial support from The Israel Science Foundation (Grant No.373/16). Rothamsted Research receives grant aided support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | |
| Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences | 1107444, 1107465 |
| Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council | BBS/E/C/00005195 |
| Israel Science Foundation | 373/16 |