Force generation in confined active fluids: The role of microstructure

Abstract

We experimentally determine the force exerted by a bath of active particles onto a passive probe as a function of its distance to a wall and compare it to the measured averaged density distribution of active particles around the probe. Within the framework of an active stress, we demonstrate that both quantities are - up to a factor - directly related to each other. Our results are in excellent agreement with a minimal numerical model and confirm a general and system-independent relationship between the microstructure of active particles and transmitted forces.