Events

Date: 12 November 2026   Time: 13:00 - 14:00     

Location: MB-503

Bacterial motility is key to a wide range of phenomena, including the spreading of infectious diseases and the formation of biofilms. Using the polarly flagellated soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida as an example, we study how switching between different swimming modes shapes its chemotaxis strategy and affects navigation and spreading in complex polymer networks and under confinement. Alongside experimental recordings, we interpret our findings using active particle models and theoretical estimates based on a coarse-grained density description. Building on this theoretical perspective, we present a model for chemotaxis driven by two competing chemicals. This mass-conserving Keller–Segel model reveals a diverse zoo of patterns, including coarsening regimes, traveling waves, and a novel class of mixed oscillatory coarsening states, broadening our understanding of pattern formation in signaling active matter.