Membranes with rotating motors

Phys Rev Lett. 2003 Sep 5;91(10):108104. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.108104. Epub 2003 Sep 5.

Abstract

We study collections of rotatory motors confined to two-dimensional manifolds. These systems show a nontrivial collective behavior since the rotational motion leads to a repulsive hydrodynamic interaction between motors. While for high rotation speed motors might exhibit crystalline order, they form at low speed a disordered phase where diffusion is enhanced by velocity fluctuations. These effects should be experimentally observable for motors driven by external fields and for dipolar biological motors embedded into lipid membranes in a viscoelastic solvent.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphatases / chemistry
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases / metabolism*
  • Biological Transport, Active
  • Membrane Lipids / chemistry
  • Membrane Lipids / metabolism
  • Membranes / chemistry
  • Membranes / enzymology*
  • Models, Biological*

Substances

  • Membrane Lipids
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases