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A feedback-controlled optoelectronic platform for programming interactions in active matter |
| Shutong Guo(郭姝彤)1, Zhiqing Huang(黄芷晴)1, Bingrui Xu(徐冰睿)2, Shuailong Zhang(张帅龙)3, and H. P. Zhang(张何朋)1,† |
1 School of Physics and Astronomy, Institute of Natural Sciences and MOE-LSC, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China;
2 Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China;
3 School of Integrated Circuits and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China |
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Abstract Active matter systems involve complex interactions between constituent particles, often mediated by physical or chemical fields, and in some cases, governed by sensing or decision-making processes. Experimentally controlling such interactions remains highly challenging, posing a major obstacle to systematic investigation. In this work, we present an optoelectronic tweezer (OET) platform that uses closed-loop feedback to program both motion and interactions in colloidal systems by dynamically patterning local electric fields with light. Operating at very low optical intensities, this approach allows rapid and precise control over dielectrophoretic forces acting on colloidal particles. We demonstrate the capabilities of this platform through the experimental realization of both a programmable active Brownian particle system and a communicating active particle system. This versatile platform bridges theoretical models of active matter and their experimental realization, enabling direct control over propulsion and interaction rules.
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Received: 13 March 2026
Revised: 12 April 2026
Accepted manuscript online: 22 April 2026
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PACS:
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05.65.+b
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(Self-organized systems)
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82.70.Dd
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(Colloids)
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42.50.Wk
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(Mechanical effects of light on material media, microstructures and particles)
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89.75.Fb
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(Structures and organization in complex systems)
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| Fund: HPZ acknowledges support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 12225410 and 12074243) and the China Manned Space Engineering Program (Project number: KJZ-YY-NLT0502). SZ acknowledges support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62574023) and Chongqing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. CSTB2024NSCQ-JQX0034). |
Corresponding Authors:
H. P. Zhang
E-mail: Hepeng_zhang@sjtu.edu.cn
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Cite this article:
Shutong Guo(郭姝彤), Zhiqing Huang(黄芷晴), Bingrui Xu(徐冰睿), Shuailong Zhang(张帅龙), and H. P. Zhang(张何朋) A feedback-controlled optoelectronic platform for programming interactions in active matter 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 070502
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