Light Control of the Diffusion Coefficient of Active Fluids

Active fluids refer to the fluids that contain self-propelled particles such as bacteria or microalgae, whose properties differ fundamentally from the passive fluids. Such particles often exhibit an intermittent motion, with high-motility “run” periods broken by low-motility “tumble” periods. The average motion can be modified with external stresses, such as nutrient or light gradients, leading to a directed movement called chemotaxis and phototaxis, respectively. Using cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a model microorganism to study photosynthesis, we track the bacterial response to light stimuli, under isotropic and nonisotropic (directional) conditions. In particular, we investigate how the intermittent motility is influenced by illumination. We find that just after a rise in light intensity, the probability to be in the run state increases. This feature vanishes after a typical characteristic time of about 1 h, when initial probability is recovered. Our results are well described by a mathematical model based on the linear response theory. When the perturbation is anisotropic, we observe a collective motion toward the light source (phototaxis). We show that the bias emerges due to more frequent runs in the direction of the light, whereas the run durations are longer whatever the direction.