Our SFB 1313 associate member Christoph Lohrmann from the Institute for Computational Physics successfully defended his doctoral thesis "Motile Bacteria in complex environments" on 2 July 2024. Congratulations!
Christoph Lohrmann was a member of the SFB 1313 Integrated Research Training Group "Interface-Driven Multi-Field Processes in Porous Media" (IRTG–IMPM).
Abstract
Bacteria encounter complex environments in their natural habitats. Complexity can arise from, e.g., porous confinement, external flow, or other particles suspended in the liquid. I present a particle based numerical model of swimming bacteria that includes hydrodynamic interactions via lattice Boltzmann to investigate the influence of swimming on the interactions between bacteria and their environment. In this talk, I report multiple applications in which swimming has nontrivial and sometimes counterintuitive consequences for bacteria.
First, I explain why bacteria in porous media flow preferentially accumulate behind obstacles. Second, I investigate how flow influences the initiation and formation of biofilms in porous media. Third, I find optimal navigation strategies for micro-swimmers in tightly confining geometries [3]. Finally, I show how hydrodynamic interactions are indispensable in modelling of bacteriophage-bacterium interactions by calculating infection rates as a function of swimming speed [4].
In summary, I will demonstrate the applicability of the model to complex systems, which can guide both research into biologically relevant swimmers like bacteria, and the design of artificial micro-swimmers for, e.g., medical use.