Hydrodynamic interactions of cilia on a spherical body.

Abstract

Microorganisms develop coordinated beating patterns on surfaces lined with cilia known as metachronal waves. For a chain of cilia attached to a flat ciliate, it has been shown that hydrodynamic interactions alone can lead the system to synchronize. However, several microorganisms possess a curve-shaped ciliate body and so to understand the effect of this geometry on the formation of metachronal waves, we evaluate the hydrodynamic interactions of cilia near a large spherical body. Using a minimal model, we show that for a chain of cilia around the sphere, the natural periodicity in the geometry leads the system to synchronize. We also report an emergent wavelike behavior when an asymmetry is introduced to the system.