Related papers: Geometry-induced rectification for an active objec…

Biological and synthetic microswimmers display a wide range of swimming trajectories depending on driving forces and torques. In this paper we consider a simple overdamped model of self-propelled particles with a constant self-propulsion…

We propose a geometric perspective to describe the motion of self-propelled particles moving at constant speed in d dimensions. We exploit the fact that the vector that conveys the direction of motion of the particle performs a random walk…

Catalysis-driven synthetic molecular motors operate in a loose mechanochemical coupling regime, one in which a decomposition of a fuel molecule does not reliably produce a forward step. In that regime, stochastic backward steps can…

The dynamics of "dipolar particles", i.e. particles endowed with a four-vector mass dipole moment, is investigated using an action principle in general relativity. The action is a specific functional of the particle's world line, and of the…

We study the force that non-interacting point-like active particles apply to a symmetric inert object in the presence of a gradient of activity and particle sources and sinks. We consider two simple patterns of sources and sinks that are…

Active systems are inherently out of equilibrium, as they collect energy from their surroundings and transform it into directed motion. A recent theoretical study suggests that binary mixtures of active particles with distinct effective…

Active matter has played a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of non-equilibrium systems, leading to a fundamental shift in the study of biophysical phenomena. The foundation of active matter research is built on assumptions…

We demonstrate that directed transport of particles in a two dimensional driven lattice can be dynamically reversed multiple times by superimposing additional spatially localized lattices on top of a background lattice. The timescales of…

Focused laser beams allow controlling mechanical motion of objects and can serve as a tool for assembling complex micro and nano structures in space. While in a vast majority of cases small particles experience attractive gradient forces…

In the paper, some concepts of modern differential geometry are used as a basis to develop an invariant theory of mechanical systems, including systems with gyroscopic forces. An interpretation of systems with gyroscopic forces in the form…

The mixed-field orientation of an asymmetric-rotor molecule with its permanent dipole moment non-parallel to the principal axes of polarizability is investigated experimentally and theoretically. We find that for the typical case of a…

Actuation remains a signifcant challenge in soft robotics. Actuation by light has important advantages: objects can be actuated from a distance, distinct frequencies can be used to actuate and control distinct modes with minimal…

In this work, the ratchet dynamics of Brownian particles driven by an external sinusoidal (harmonic) force is investigated. The gating ratchet effect is observed when another harmonic is used to modulate the spatially symmetric potential in…

We present a general approach for the formulation of equations of motion for compact objects in general relativistic theories. The particle is assumed to be moving in a geometric background which in turn is asymptotically flat. Our approach…

We give a general design method for finding the passive, reciprocal surface impedance tensor required to enact any wave transformation. We do this through characterising the surface in terms of a tensorial surface impedance, showing that a…

The generation of unidirectional motion has been a long-standing challenge in engineering of molecular motors and, more generally, machines. A molecular motor is characterized by a set of low energy states that differ in their…

We present a study of transport of a Brownian particle moving in periodic symmetric potential in the presence of asymmetric unbiased fluctuations. The particle is considered to move in a medium with periodic space dependent friction. By…

We reveal that the mechanical pulsation of locally synchronised particles is a generic route to propagate deformation waves. We consider a model of dense repulsive particles whose activity drives periodic change in size of each individual.…

Active matter physics and swarm robotics have provided powerful tools for the study and control of ensembles driven by internal sources. At the macroscale, controlling swarms typically utilizes significant memory, processing power, and…

We derive a master equation for the motion of a polarizable particle weakly interacting with one or several strongly pumped cavity modes. We focus here on massive particles with complex internal structure such as large molecules and…