Method of reflections for Stokes flow

The method of reflections successively scatters the disturbance from each rigid body off every other body to enforce their boundary conditions. For well-separated particles, each reflection is smaller by a power of particle size over separation.

For equal distant spheres, a force $\mathbf{F}$ on the second generates a Stokeslet velocity $(I+\mathbf{nn})\mathbf{F}/(8\pi \mu R)$ at the held first sphere. The first sphere needs holding force $-3a(I+\mathbf{nn})\mathbf{F}/(4R)$ by Stokes drag law. Its reflected Stokeslet, combined with Faxén rotation law, gives the displayed spin on the second. This translation constraint produces order $Fa/(\mu R^3)$ rotation; if both centers were freely translating the same force monopole would not be emitted by the first sphere. Longitudinal forcing makes the leading cross product vanish.

For two well-separated spheres with isolated downward speeds $V_i$ and radii $a_i$, let $\mathbf{r}={\mathbf{x}}_1-{\mathbf{x}}_2$, $r=|\mathbf{r}|$, $\mathbf{n}=\mathbf{r}/r$, and let $\hat{\mathbf{z}}$ point upwards. Their leading Stokeslet interactions giveEach sphere's Stokes drag law supplies force $-6\pi \mu a_i{V}_i\hat{\mathbf{z}}$ on the fluid. Evaluate the other's Stokeslet at its centre and subtract the two velocities to obtain the equation. Corrections from finite size and potential dipoles are higher order in radius divided by separation. The approximation must remain well separated throughout the segment of trajectory to which it is applied.

If $\delta D<0$, the leading interaction of two sedimenting spheres has a formal vertical equilibrium at $r_{\ast }=-3D/(2\delta )$. Choose labels with $\delta >0,D<0$ and put sphere one above sphere two. On that invariant vertical line, $\dot{r}=-\delta +\delta r_{\ast }/r$, so both sides approach $r_{\ast }$ and the radial eigenvalue is $-\delta /r_{\ast }$. A small tilt instead grows at rate $\delta /(2r_{\ast })$: the full configuration-space equilibrium is a saddle, not an attracting node. A physically valid far-field bound pair requires $r_{\ast }\gg a_1+a_2$, or $|D|\gg (a_1+a_2)|\delta |$. Reversing both driving forces reverses the vector field, interchanging radial attraction and repulsion, consistent with kinematic reversibility of Stokes flow.

In the leading interaction of two sedimenting spheres, put $c=3D/4$ and let $\theta$ be the angle from the upward vertical. The equations are $\dot{r}=-(\delta +2c/r)\cos \theta$ and $r\dot{\theta }=(\delta +c/r)\sin \theta$. Their ratio separates toso $r(\delta r+2c){\sin }^2\theta$ is invariant. When $\delta ,c$ have the same nonzero sign, choose labels so both are positive. For a noncollinear encounter the invariant is positive, ensuring a strictly positive closest separation. Meanwhile $\dot{z}=-\delta -c(1+{\cos }^2\theta )/r<0$, so the vertical order reverses and eventually $r\ge |z|\to \infty$. Exactly collinear contact is outside this passing argument.

For a smooth noncontact pair encounter in deterministic zero-inertia Stokes flow, streamwise reflection changes the sign of simple shear and time reversal changes it back. Uniqueness then pairs incoming and outgoing trajectory branches, with equal transverse separation at infinity. Hydrodynamic transverse motion during the encounter need not vanish; its net scattering displacement does. Contact, Brownian forcing and inertia can break this argument.

For equal spheres of radius $a$ separated by $R\gg a$, one held fixed and the other forced with $\mathbf{F}=6\pi \mu a\mathbf{V}$, put $\zeta =6\pi \mu a$, $\mathbf{n}=\mathbf{X}/R$ and $\mathsf{A}=3a(I+\mathbf{nn})/(4R)$. The method of reflections for Stokes flow gives $\mathbf{U}=\mathbf{V}-{\mathsf{A}}^2\mathbf{V}+O(V{a}^4/R^4)$, since the fixed sphere creates the reflected Stokeslet with force $-6\pi \mu a\mathsf{A}\mathbf{V}$. The leading hydrodynamic mobility matrix correction therefore reduces longitudinal motion more strongly than transverse motion.

In a planar force-driven encounter with a fixed equal sphere and positive impact parameter $b\gg a$, the mobility correction from a fixed distant sphere gives $Y-b=27a^{2}b/[32(X^2+b^2)]+O(a^4/b^3)$. The moving sphere reaches maximum deflection $27a^2/(32b)$ and rotates clockwise through $9\pi a^2/(32b^2)$ to leading order. The spin is obtained by integrating half the reflected Stokeslet vorticity, as prescribed by Faxén rotation law. These numerical formulas require a distant encounter.

For a two-mode tensorial squirmer flow of radius $a$ and a passive equal sphere held at $X=Re$, with $a/R\ll 1$, let $s=e\cdot Be$. Faxén's first law gives holding force $F_h=-9\pi \mu a^{3}se/R^2+O(\mu a^4|A|/R^3+\mu a^5\Vert B\Vert /R^4)$. Its reflected Stokeslet changes swimming velocity by $-9a^{3}se/(4R^3)$. Since this leading force is radial, its vorticity at the swimmer vanishes. The next holding force, generated by the potential dipole, yields rotation $a^{4}A\times X/(4R^6)$. Terms from the passive sphere's finite radius, reflected stresslet and rotlet are needed at higher order. These formulas assume fixed slip and no externally applied swimmer force or torque.

In the preceding two-sphere geometry, holding the second sphere's angular velocity at zero needs a torque $\mathbf{G}=-4\pi \mu a^3{\mathbf{\omega }}_{\infty }$. Its rotlet addsto the first sphere's velocity, in addition to the self-mobility correction from a distant force-free sphere. This leading constraint correction is transverse to the line of centres.

For two equal spheres of radius $a$ separated by $\mathbf{R}$, let the first have applied force $\mathbf{F}$ and let the second be force-free and torque-free. With ${\mathbf{U}}_0=\mathbf{F}/(6\pi \mu a)$, the leading reflected stresslet changes the first velocity byThe distant sphere's freely translating and rotating rigid motions remove its monopole force and torque fields; its incident rate-of-strain tensor produces the first self-mobility correction.

For a forced sphere and a distant equal force-free, torque-free sphere, the leading incident Stokeslet strain is proportional to $(\mathbf{U}\cdot \mathbf{n})(I-3\mathbf{nn})$. Its reflected stresslet is axisymmetric about the line of centers and has zero vorticity on that line. The nominal fifth-order self-spin coefficient therefore vanishes. Finite-size incident-strain corrections and higher force-free scattering multipoles first supply a generic seventh-order angular velocity. Purely longitudinal forcing has zero spin exactly by axial symmetry. The leading translation correction is fourth order for a generic orientation, but sixth order for purely transverse forcing. These cancellations matter when using the method of reflections for Stokes flow to infer orders from far-field decay alone.

A torque-driven sphere advects and rotates a distant force-free sphere through its rotlet. The incident rate of strain makes the second sphere emit a stresslet; the vorticity of that reflected field supplies the first correction to the original sphere's angular velocity.