Mathematical description of bacterial motion by chemotaxis : aggregation and waves of concentration

Chemotaxis is the phenomenon in which cells direct their motion according to a chemical present in their environment. Since experimental observations have shown that the motion of bacteria (e.g. Escherichia Coli) is due to the alternation of 'runs and tumbles', mathematical modelling thanks to a kinetic description has been proposed. The starting point of the study is the so-called Othmer-Dunbar-Alt model governing the dynamics of the distribution function of cells. From this system, macroscopic model can be derived after rescaling. When the taxis is small compared to the unbiased movement of cells, the scaling must be of diffusive type.