Mathematical models for flagellar activation mechanisms
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The beating of cilia and flagella in fluids plays a crucial role in many biological processes, making it a central topic in the study of active matter. These organelles generate motion through the coordinated activity of molecular motors acting along filaments within the axoneme, the cytoskeletal structure of cilia, which is highly conserved across species. In this talk, I will present recent work that develops and analyses a nonlinear multiscale model of axonemal beating based on the sliding-feedback mechanism. The model couples the stochastic binding/unbinding and force-generation of dynein motors to the elastic deformation of filaments and their hydrodynamic interaction with the surrounding fluid. Through linear stability analysis and fully nonlinear simulations, the study demonstrates the spontaneous emergence of periodic beating via Hopf bifurcation.