Biological & Soft Matter Seminar: (some) Physical aspects of swarming bacteria

Abstarct:

Bacterial swarming is a collective biophysical mode of motion in which self-propelled cells migrate rapidly over surfaces, forming dynamic patterns of whirls and jets. In the talk I will review a physical point of view of swarming bacteria, with an emphasis on the statistical properties of the swarm dynamics as observed in experiments. Basic physical principles underlying the swarm and their relation to contemporary theories of collective motion and active matter will be presented in the context of the biological properties of swarming cells. In particular, I will discuss some recent results related to the transition from swarming to biofilm, and the formation of topological defects in the nematic structure of the cells.