Nodal Flow Simulations by the Immersed Boundary Method

Abstract

Experimental work in developmental biology has recently shown that fluid flow driven by rotating cilia in the node, which is a structure present in the early stage of growth of vertebrate embryos, is responsible for determining the normal development of the left-right asymmetry, with the heart on the left of the body, the liver on the right, and so on. The role of physics, particularly of fluid dynamics, in this process is one of the important questions that remain to be answered. We apply a computational technique based on the immersed boundary method to the 3D nodal flow problem and investigate the fluid dynamics of the nodal flow in the developing embryo. Numerical simulations allow us to find the optimal condition for the maximal leftward flow in the node, which is qualitatively comparable to experimental and theoretical findings. In addition, we explore how the leftward flow is affected by the change of the following parameter values: the rigidity of the rotating cilia, the rotational frequency, and ...