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Driving potential and noise level determine the synchronization state of hydrodynamically coupled oscillators.

TitleDriving potential and noise level determine the synchronization state of hydrodynamically coupled oscillators.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2012
AuthorsBruot, N, Kotar, J, de Lillo, F, Cosentino Lagomarsino, M, Cicuta, P
JournalPhys Rev Lett
Volume109
Issue16
Pagination164103
Date Published2012 Oct 19
ISSN1079-7114
KeywordsBiological Clocks, Cilia, Hydrodynamics, Models, Theoretical
Abstract

Motile cilia are highly conserved structures in the evolution of organisms, generating the transport of fluid by periodic beating, through remarkably organized behavior in space and time. It is not known how these spatiotemporal patterns emerge and what sets their properties. Individual cilia are nonequilibrium systems with many degrees of freedom. However, their description can be represented by simpler effective force laws that drive oscillations, and paralleled with nonlinear phase oscillators studied in physics. Here a synthetic model of two phase oscillators, where colloidal particles are driven by optical traps, proves the role of the average force profile in establishing the type and strength of synchronization. We find that highly curved potentials are required for synchronization in the presence of noise. The applicability of this approach to biological data is also illustrated by successfully mapping the behavior of cilia in the alga Chlamydomonas onto the coarse-grained model.

DOI10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.164103
Alternate JournalPhys. Rev. Lett.
PubMed ID23215082

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