Prof Ramin Golestanian

Abstract:

We report a method to control the positions of ellipsoidal magnets in flowing channels of rectangular or circular cross section at low Reynolds number. A static uniform magnetic field is used to pin the particle orientation and the particles move with translational drift velocities resulting from hydrodynamic interactions with the channel walls which can be described using Blake’s image tensor. Building on his insights, we are able to present a far-field theory predicting the particle motion in rectangular channels and validate the accuracy of the theory by comparing to numerical solutions using the boundary element method. We find that, by changing the direction of the applied magnetic field, the motion can be controlled so that particles move either to a curved focusing region or to the channel walls. We also use simulations to show that the particles are focused to a single line in a circular channel. Our results suggest ways to focus and segregate magnetic particles in lab-on-a-chip devices.

Abstract:

We investigate the collective behavior of magnetic swimmers, which are suspended in a Poiseuille flow and placed under an external magnetic field, using analytical techniques and Brownian dynamics simulations. We find that the interplay between intrinsic activity, external alignment, and magnetic dipole-dipole interactions leads to longitudinal structure formation. Our work sheds light on a recent experimental observation of a clustering instability in this system.

Abstract:

The frequency-dependent spectrum of current fluctuations through nano-scale channels is studied using analytical and computational techniques. Using a stochastic Nernst-Planck description and neglecting the interactions between the ions inside the channel, an expression is derived for the current fluctuations, assuming that the geometry of the channel can be incorporated through the lower limits for various wave-vector modes. Since the resulting expression turns out to be quite complex, a number of further approximations are discussed such that relatively simple expressions can be used for practical purposes. The analytical results are validated using Langevin dynamics simulations.

Abstract:

Using multigenerational, single-cell tracking we explore the earliest events of biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa During initial stages of surface engagement (≤20 h), the surface cell population of this microbe comprises overwhelmingly cells that attach poorly (∼95% stay <30 s, well below the ∼1-h division time) with little increase in surface population. If we harvest cells previously exposed to a surface and direct them to a virgin surface, we find that these surface-exposed cells and their descendants attach strongly and then rapidly increase the surface cell population. This "adaptive," time-delayed adhesion requires determinants we showed previously are critical for surface sensing: type IV pili (TFP) and cAMP signaling via the Pil-Chp-TFP system. We show that these surface-adapted cells exhibit damped, coupled out-of-phase oscillations of intracellular cAMP levels and associated TFP activity that persist for multiple generations, whereas surface-naïve cells show uncorrelated cAMP and TFP activity. These correlated cAMP-TFP oscillations, which effectively impart intergenerational memory to cells in a lineage, can be understood in terms of a Turing stochastic model based on the Pil-Chp-TFP framework. Importantly, these cAMP-TFP oscillations create a state characterized by a suppression of TFP motility coordinated across entire lineages and lead to a drastic increase in the number of surface-associated cells with near-zero translational motion. The appearance of this surface-adapted state, which can serve to define the historical classification of "irreversibly attached" cells, correlates with family tree architectures that facilitate exponential increases in surface cell populations necessary for biofilm formation.