1999/12/20 by Charles W. Wolgemuth, Thomas Powers, Thomas R. Powers +1 · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Micro and Nano Robotics #Microtubule and mitosis dynamics #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation #cond-mat.soft #nlin.PS #patt-sol #q-bio
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.84.1623
To be published in Physical Review Letters
arxiv created 1999/12/20 · openalex publication_date 2000/02/14 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Motivated by diverse phenomena in cellular biophysics, including bacterial flagellar motion and DNA transcription and replication, we study the overdamped nonlinear dynamics of a rotationally forced filament with twist and bend elasticity. Competition between twist injection, twist diffusion, and writhing instabilities is described by coupled PDEs for twist and bend evolution. Analytical and numerical methods elucidate the twist/bend coupling and reveal two regimes separated by a Hopf bifurcation: (i) diffusion-dominated axial rotation, or twirling, and (ii) steady-state crankshafting motion, or whirling. The consequences of these phenomena for self-propulsion are investigated, and experimental tests proposed.