Spontaneous motion of a camphor particle with a triangular modification from a circle

Abstract

The spontaneous motion of a camphor particle with a slight modification from a circle is investigated. The effect of the shape on the motion is discussed using the perturbation method. The results predict that a camphor particle with a three-mode modification from a circle moves in the direction of a corner for the smaller particle, while it moves in the direction of a side for the larger particle. The numerical simulation results well reproduce the theoretical prediction. The present study will help the understanding on the effect of the particle shape on the spontaneous motion.