MECHANICAL MODELING OF THE BISTABLE BACTERIAL FLAGELLAR FILAMENT

作     者：Xiaoling Wang 1 Qingping Sun 2 1 ( 1 School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China) ( 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China) 

出 版 物：《Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica》 (固体力学学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2011年第24卷第S1期

页      面：1-16页

学科分类：071011[理学-生物物理学] 0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 

基　　金：supported by the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology  and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 10902013) 

主　　题：bacterial flagellar filament Landau theory the Kirchhoff’s rod theory instability 

摘      要：We extend the 2D Landau phase transition theory to the bacterial flagellar filament which displays the phase transition between the left handed normal form and the right handed semi-coiled form. The bacterial flagellar filament is treated as an elastic thin rod based on the Kirchhoff’s thin rod theory. Mechanical analysis is performed on the periodical phase transition of the filament between the two helical structures of the opposite charity. The curvature and twist are chosen as the order parameters in constructing the phase transition model of the filament. The established model is applied to study the instability properties of the filament and to investigate the loading and deformation conditions of the phase transition. In addition, the curvature and twist gradient energy are considered to describe the interface properties of the two phases.