Velocity Fluctuations in Helical Propulsion: How Small Can a Propeller Be

Ghosh, Arijit and Paria, Debadrita and Rangarajan, Govindan and Ghosh, Ambarish (2014) Velocity Fluctuations in Helical Propulsion: How Small Can a Propeller Be. In: JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS, 5 (1). pp. 62-68.

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Abstract

Helical propulsion is at the heart of locomotion strategies utilized by various natural and artificial swimmers. We used experimental observations and a numerical model to study the various fluctuation mechanisms that determine the performance of an externally driven helical propeller as the size of the helix is reduced. From causality analysis, an overwhelming effect of orientational noise at low length scales is observed, which strongly affects the average velocity and direction of motion of a propeller. For length scales smaller than a few micrometers in aqueous media, the operational frequency for the propulsion system would have to increase as the inverse cube of the size, which can be the limiting factor for a helical propeller to achieve locomotion in the desired direction.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
Publisher:	AMER CHEMICAL SOC
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to the AMER CHEMICAL SOC, USA
Department/Centre:	Division of Electrical Sciences > Electrical Communication Engineering Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences > Centre for Nano Science and Engineering Division of Physical & Mathematical Sciences > Mathematics Division of Physical & Mathematical Sciences > Physics
Date Deposited:	10 Feb 2014 10:17
Last Modified:	10 Feb 2014 10:17
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/48331

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