A computational model of the fluid dynamics of undulatory and flagellar swimming

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. We present a mathematical model and numerical method designed to study the fluid dynamics of swimming organisms. The full Navier-Stokes equations are solved in a domain of fluid within which an organism undergoing time-dependent motions is immersed. Of interest are both the dynamics of a single organism and the relationship of its morphology to its motility properties, as well as the collective hydrodynamic interactions of groups of swimmers with each other and their environment. Biological applications include spermatozoa motility in the reproductive tract, swimming of non-smooth filaments, and collective swimming of algal cells.