Viscous Nonlinear Dynamics of Twist and Writhe
- 8 June 1998
- journal article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 80 (23) , 5232-5235
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.80.5232
Abstract
Exploiting the "natural" frame of space curves, we formulate an intrinsic dynamics of twisted elastic filaments in viscous fluids. A pair of coupled nonlinear equations describing the temporal evolution of the filament's complex curvature and twist density embodies the dynamic interplay of twist and writhe. These are used to illustrate a novel nonlinear phenomenon: ``geometric untwisting" of open filaments, whereby twisting strains relax through a transient writhing instability without performing axial rotation. This may explain certain experimentally observed motions of fibers of the bacterium B. subtilis [N.H. Mendelson, et al., J. Bacteriol. 177, 7060 (1995)].Comment: 9 pages, 4 figureKeywords
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