Abstract: Magnetotactic bacteria are microorganisms that can align in and navigate along geomagnetic field lines. This is due to the fact that magnetotactic bacteria biomineralize magnetite nanoparticles, called magnetosomes, arranged in a chain. The chain configuration is strongly affected by the magnetic anisotropy of the magnetosome. In this proposal we will work with two species that synthesize magnetosomes with different morphology: Magnetospirillum magneticum, which synthesize slightly elongated cubooctahedral magnetosomes arrange in 3-5 subchains, and Magnetovibrio blakemorei, which produce hexaoctahedral shaped (35×35×53 nm) magnetosomes arranged in a single chain. Such different morphologies lead to important changes in the vectorial distribution of the magnetic moments. In this experiment we plan to perform spin-resolved small angle neutron scattering at the SANS instrument D33 on isolated magnetosomes and the bacterial colloids of the two different bacterial species. It will allow us to reveal the chain arrangement in these bacterial species, which will help to transfer the knowledge to other magnetotactic strains.

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