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Engineering tunable fractional Shapiro steps in colloidal transport

Author

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  • Andris P. Stikuts

    (Universitat de Barcelona
    University of Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS))

  • Seemant Mishra

    (Fachbereich Mathematik/Informatik/Physik, Institut für Physik)

  • Artem Ryabov

    (Department of Macromolecular Physics)

  • Philipp Maass

    (Fachbereich Mathematik/Informatik/Physik, Institut für Physik)

  • Pietro Tierno

    (Universitat de Barcelona
    University of Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS))

Abstract

Shapiro steps are quantized plateaus in the velocity-force or velocity-torque curve of a driven system, when its speed remains constant despite an increase in the driving force. For microscopic particles driven across a sinusoidal potential, integer Shapiro steps have been observed. By driving a single colloidal particle across a time-modulated, non-sinusoidal periodic optical landscape, we here demonstrate that fractional Shapiro steps emerge in addition to integer ones. Measuring the particle position via individual particle tracking, we reveal the underlying microscopic mechanisms that produce integer and fractional steps and demonstrate how these steps can be controlled by tuning the shape and driving protocol of the optical potential. The flexibility offered by optical engineering allows us to generate a wide range of potential shapes and to study, at the single-particle level, synchronization behavior in driven soft condensed matter systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Andris P. Stikuts & Seemant Mishra & Artem Ryabov & Philipp Maass & Pietro Tierno, 2025. "Engineering tunable fractional Shapiro steps in colloidal transport," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-58217-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58217-3
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