Synchronization in single E. coli oscillators

Abstract

Synchronization is a universal phenomenon observed across various natural systems, from fireflies flashing in unison to pacemaker cells that create heartbeats. In recent experiments, it was found that E. coli cells could be trapped in circular microcavities, exhibiting oscillatory motion. When two adjacent cavities were connected with microchannels, the cells showed synchronous motion. The objective of this thesis is to uncover the mechanism behind this synchronous motion. A model is developed based on hydrodynamic interactions between the cells due to the fluid in the channel, which resembles the Adler model, one of the simplest models of synchronization. To include the effect of real-world influences, noise is added to the model and stochastic simulations capture the experimental observations more closely. However, the presence of noise greatly affects the synchronization of the E. coli oscillators, making it hard to observe sustained synchrony. To counteract this, a proposal is made to use an external drive such that synchronous oscillations can be sustained. These advancements could pave the way toward the engineering of desired dynamics in confined active matter.