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  • Open Access

How flagellated bacteria wobble

Chen Gui1,*, Mingxin Mao1,2,*,†, Pu Feng3,*, Yuxin Shen3, Xiangjun Gong3,‡, Gerhard Gompper4,§, and Jinglei Hu1,∥

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: maomx25@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: msxjgong@scut.edu.cn
  • §Contact author: g.gompper@fz-juelich.de
  • ∥Contact author: hujinglei@nju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, L012027 – Published 28 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/g3w4-5jw8

Abstract

The wobbling motion of flagellated bacteria significantly influences their swimming behavior, yet its dynamics remains poorly understood, primarily due to the difficulty in tracking the 3D orientations of both the flagellar bundle and the cell body. Here, we use hydrodynamics simulations of a mechanical Escherichia coli model in polymer fluids with varying wobbling amplitudes and flagellar anchoring configurations to elucidate this motion. Through Euler angle analysis, we resolve the three components of wobbling: precession, nutation, and spin. Our findings challenge the common assumption that peritrichous bacteria undergo complete cycles of body spin. Notably, we uncover a small-amplitude nutation with a well-defined period on the order of a few milliseconds. We also identify two distinct precession modes. To interpret these findings, we develop a theoretical framework based on Lagrangian mechanics.

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Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Corrections

10 March, 2026

Correction: The equal contribution footnote for the first three authors was missing at publication and has been inserted.

Article Text

Supplemental Material

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Research 8, L012027– Published 28 January, 2026
  • Received 3 July 2024
  • Accepted 5 December 2025
  • Corrected 10 March 2026
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