Band formation by magnetostatic spirillum bacteria in oxygen concentration gradient

The formation of a band of magnetotactic bacteria in a capillary with an open end under the action of longitudinal magnetic field is studied both theoretically and experimentally. It is shown that a set of two hyperbolic equations taking into account the dependence of the frequency of reversals of the bacterium rotary motor on the oxygen concentration predicts the formation of a band with exponential tails. Fit of the experimentally obtained bacteria concentration in the oxygen concentration gradient allows to determine the variation of the switching frequencies against the oxygen concentration.