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Acoustic trapping of active matter

Author

Listed:
  • Sho C. Takatori

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Raf De Dier

    (ETH Zürich
    Department of Chemical Engineering)

  • Jan Vermant

    (ETH Zürich)

  • John F. Brady

    (California Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Confinement of living microorganisms and self-propelled particles by an external trap provides a means of analysing the motion and behaviour of active systems. Developing a tweezer with a trapping radius large compared with the swimmers’ size and run length has been an experimental challenge, as standard optical traps are too weak. Here we report the novel use of an acoustic tweezer to confine self-propelled particles in two dimensions over distances large compared with the swimmers’ run length. We develop a near-harmonic trap to demonstrate the crossover from weak confinement, where the probability density is Boltzmann-like, to strong confinement, where the density is peaked along the perimeter. At high concentrations the swimmers crystallize into a close-packed structure, which subsequently ‘explodes’ as a travelling wave when the tweezer is turned off. The swimmers’ confined motion provides a measurement of the swim pressure, a unique mechanical pressure exerted by self-propelled bodies.

Suggested Citation

  • Sho C. Takatori & Raf De Dier & Jan Vermant & John F. Brady, 2016. "Acoustic trapping of active matter," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms10694
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10694
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    Cited by:

    1. Goswami, Koushik, 2019. "Work fluctuation relations for a dragged Brownian particle in active bath," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 525(C), pages 223-233.
    2. Reserva, Rosario L. & Filipinas, Jae Lord Dexter C. & Jerez, Michael Jade Y. & Confesor, Mark Nolan P., 2022. "Non-equilibrium tracer dynamics in oscillating active gel," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 603(C).
    3. Nicola Pellicciotta & Matteo Paoluzzi & Dario Buonomo & Giacomo Frangipane & Luca Angelani & Roberto Di Leonardo, 2023. "Colloidal transport by light induced gradients of active pressure," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.

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