Related papers: Light Sailboats: Laser driven autonomous microrobo…
Although coherent light is usually required for the self-organization of regular spatial patterns from optical beams, we show that peculiar light matter interaction can break this evidence. In the traditional method to record laser-induced…
Micron-sized particles moving through solution in response to self-generated chemical gradients serve as model systems for studying active matter. Their far-reaching potential applications will require the particles to sense and respond to…
Scaling down miniature rotorcraft and flapping-wing flyers to sub-centimeter dimensions is challenging due to complex electronics requirements, manufacturing limitations, and the increase in viscous damping at low Reynolds numbers.…
Microwave propelled sails are a new class of spacecraft using photon acceleration. It is the only method of interstellar flight that has no physics issues. Laboratory demonstrations of basic features of beam-driven propulsion, flight,…
Control of self-propelled particles is central to the development of many microrobotic technologies, from dynamically reconfigurable materials to advanced lab-on-a-chip systems. However, there are few physical principles by which particle…
We demonstrate with experiments and simulations how microscopic self-propelled particles navigate through environments presenting complex spatial features, which mimic the conditions inside cells, living organisms and future lab-on-a-chip…
Structured beams of light can move small objects in surprising ways. Particularly striking examples include observations of polarization-dependent forces acting on optically isotropic objects and tractor beams that can pull objects opposite…
Custom-designed colloidal particles in an optical tweezers act as light-mills in a fluid. In particular, aqueous suspensions of capped colloids, in which half of the surface is covered with metal layers, are investigated. Due to their…
The transfer of angular momentum carried by photons into a microobject has been widely exploited to achieve the actuation of the microobject. However, this scheme is fundamentally defective in nonliquid environments as a result of the scale…
We investigate how laser-driven, cooperative dipole-dipole interactions in weakly trapped atomic arrays give rise to self-organized configurations. Starting from an analytically tractable two-emitter system, we identify the possible…
We investigate a self-organized swimmer at low Reynolds numbers. The microscopic swimmer is composed of three spheres that are connected by two identical active linker arms. Each linker arm contains molecular motors and elastic elements and…
The successful development and optimisation of optically-driven micromachines will be greatly enhanced by the ability to computationally model the optical forces and torques applied to such devices. In principle, this can be done by…
We study a simple two-dimensional model for motion of an elastic filament subject to internally generated stresses and show that wave-like propagating shapes which can propel the filament can be induced by a self-organized mechanism via a…
Manipulating mega biomolecules and micro-devices with light is highly appealing. Opto driving torque can propel micro-rotors to translational motion in viscous liquid, and then separate microsystems according to their handedness. We study…
The transport of small quantities of liquid on a solid surface is inhibited by the resistance to motion caused by the contact between the liquid and the solid. To overcome such resistance, motion can be externally driven through gradients…
Self-propelling active particles are an exciting and interdisciplinary emerging area of research with projected biomedical and environmental applications. Due to their autonomous motion, control over these active particles that are free to…
We report on the atom optical manipulation of an atom laser beam. Reflection, focusing and its storage in a resonator are demonstrated. Precise and versatile mechanical control over an atom laser beam propagating in an inhomogeneous…
To develop active nanomaterials that can instantly respond to external stimuli with designed mechanical motions is an important step towards the realization of nanomachines and nanorobots. Herein, we present our finding of a versatile…
When a light bulb is turned on, light moves away from it at speed $c$, by definition. When light from this bulb illuminates a surface, however, this illumination front is not constrained to move at speed $c$. A simple proof is given that…
Transport phenomena in complex and dynamic microscopic environments are fundamentally shaped by hydrodynamic interactions. In particular, microparticle transport in porous media is governed by the delicate interplay between…