Self-Organization of Active Flow in a Nematic Swimmer

在这个项目中，我们将通过计算机模拟研究最近引入的一类由表面活性剂溶液中的向列液晶液滴组成的人工微游泳者的马兰戈尼不稳定性和自推进性。我们的主要目标是阐明这些游泳者丰富的现象学，其中包括对称打破成卷曲运动，并依次进入手性运动。我们打算使用我们开发的多功能工具箱，通过随机旋转动力学（SRD）来模拟液晶。我们的模拟将能够测试最近发表的分子模型的有效性，对其的验证是非常可取的，但仍然缺失。为了能够模拟多游泳系统，我们打算开发一种组合仿真代码，其中外部流体由连续标量场表示。这不仅可以预测游泳者之间的相互作用，还可以为研究集体动力学铺平道路。

In this project, we will investigate by means of computer simulations the Marangoni instability and self-propulsion in a recently introduced class of artificial microswimmers consisting of nematic liquid-crystal droplets in a surfactant solution. Our main objective is to elucidate the rich phenomenology of these swimmers, which includes symmetry-breaking into curling motion and, consecutively, into chiral motion. We intend to use the versatile toolbox we have developed for simulating liquid crystals via stochastic rotation dynamics (SRD). Our simulations will be capable of testing the validity of a recently published molecular model, a verification of which is highly desirable but still missing. In order to enable also the simulation of many-swimmer systems, we intend to develop a combined simulation code in which the external fluid is represented by continuous scalar fields. This will not only allow to predict interactions between swimmers, but also pave the way to studying collective dynamics.