English

Multi-Objective Tweezers in Scattering Media

Applied Physics 2026-05-18 v3 Optics

Abstract

Radiation forces and torques enable the manipulation of objects with acoustic and electromagnetic waves. Yet, harnessing them in complex scattering media remains a formidable challenge, especially when multiple objects must be controlled under competing objectives. Here, we demonstrate that sound or light can be shaped to tailor momentum transfer to multiple objects simultaneously in a complex scattering medium. For a single object, our theory yields the maximal achievable force or torque; for multiple objects, it produces Pareto-optimal actuation and exact bounds on the simultaneous realization of incompatible objectives. This opens new applications for wave tweezers, enabling selective and precise manipulation of objects within complex media, ranging from the handling of cells, organoids, or microrobots, to targeted drug delivery in biological media.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2511.22279,
  title  = {Multi-Objective Tweezers in Scattering Media},
  author = {Tristan Nerson and Jakob Hüpfl and Clément Ferise and David Globosits and Marlene Hudler and Matthieu Malléjac and Stefan Rotter and Romain Fleury},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.22279},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

16 pages, 8 figures

R2 v1 2026-07-01T07:57:47.225Z