Modulated Collective Motions and Condensation of Bacteria

Abstract

Bacteria can spontaneously develop collective motions by aligning their motions in dense systems. Here we show that bacteria can also respond collectively to an alternating electrical field and form dynamic clusters oscillating at the same frequency of the field. As the dynamic clusters go beyond a critical size, they split into smaller ones spontaneously. The critical size for splitting depends on the frequency of electric field and the concentration of bacteria. We show that, instead of their biological activity, the physical properties of bacteria as charged particles are responsible for the formation of dynamic clusters. Electroconvective flows across the system play the key role in stabilizing the clusters. However, to form clusters, collective hydrodynamic cooperation between bacteria is important such that no aggregation occurs in dilute suspensions. The findings in this study illustrate that bio-systems can respond collectively to an external field, promising an effective way to control and modulate the behavior of organisms. Moreover, the controlled aggregation and condensation of bacteria offer a robust approach to improve the local concentration of bacteria for early and rapid detection, which has wide applications in clinics.