Diffusion of active dimers in a Couette flow

Abstract

We study the 3D dynamics of an elastic dimer consisting of an active swimmer bound to a passive cargo, both suspended in a Couette flow. Using numerical simulations, we determine the diffusivity of such an active dimer in the presence of long-range hydrodynamic interactions for different values of its self-propulsion speed and the Couette flow. We observe that the effect of hydrodynamic interactions is greatly enhanced under the condition that self-propulsion is strong enough to contrast the shear flow. The magnitude of the effect grows with the size of the dimer's constituents relative to their distance, which makes it appreciable under experimental conditions.