Dynamics of a deformable self-propelled particle with internal rotational force

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of a single deformable active particle that is accompanied by two types of internal force. One is related to the spontaneous propulsion of the center of mass and the other to the spontaneous spinning motion around the center of mass. The equations of motion are derived from the symmetry argument for the velocity of the center of mass, the traceless symmetric tensor variable characterizing the deformation, and the antisymmetric tensor variable for the spinning motion. Numerical simulations are carried out in both two and three dimensions to investigate the dynamics due to the coupling between migration, deformation, and spinning. Some of the bifurcations are studied by an analytical approach. © The Author(s) 2013..