Hydrodynamic Interactions in Driven Systems

Abstract

Low Reynolds number environments can produce rich dynamic behavior even in very simple systems. An understanding of the physics at work in this regime is important to help connect the form and function of micro-scale biological systems. In this work we explore the range of behavior exhibited by a system of two optically trapped beads. We numerically simulate the evolution of the system when one of the beads is driven in a predefined oscillatory fashion, and the other is either free-floating or held in a static optical trap. This may have relevance to the measurement of dynamic forces using optical tweezers, and also show how the presence of the optical trap can affect the system it is in place to measure.