Optimal elastic filaments for viscous propulsion

Oscillating elastic slender filaments are used as a mode of swimming by many eukaryotic cells, thus inspiring the design of many different artificial microswimmers. The time-varying shape of the elastic filament is what determines the efficiency of its viscous propulsion, and that shape depends critically on the spatial distribution of the bending rigidity along the filament. In this talk, we discuss the optimal designs of elastic filaments (i.e. their optimal bending rigidity) that maximise their propulsive forces under different geometrical constraints.