Shape-induced pairing of spheroidal squirmers

Abstract: The "squirmer model" is a classical hydrodynamic model for the motion of interfacially-driven microswimmers, such as self-phoretic colloids or volvocine green algae. To date, most studies using the squirmer model have considered spherical particles with axisymmetric distribution of surface slip. Here, we develop a general approach to the pairing and scattering dynamics of two spheroidal squirmers. We assume that the direction of motion of the squirmers is restricted to a plane, which is approximately realized in many experimental systems. In the framework of an analytically tractable kinetic model, we predict that, for identical squirmers, an immotile "head-to-head" configuration is stable only when the particles have oblate shape and a non-axisymmetric distribution of surface slip. We also obtain conditions for stability of a motile "head-to-tail" configuration: for instance, the two particles must have unequal self-propulsion velocities. Our analytical predictions are compared against detailed numerical calculations obtained using the boundary element method.