Structures resistant to manipulation by all wavefronts in two dimensions
- 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 2TU Wien
Abstract
Using light to manipulate small particles is a powerful tool with numerous practical applications across biophysics and nanotechnology. This experimental technique has achieved significant performance gains by employing shaped wavefronts, most commonly generated with spatial light modulators. Wavefront shaping has also enabled the manipulation of seemingly arbitrary objects beyond the reach of conventional beams. Contrary to this established assumption, we show here the existence of a wide variety of objects resistant to manipulation, even with the optimal wavefront shaping protocol. The counterintuitive shapes of these objects are found using inverse design in two dimensions, providing a foundation for their natural extension to three dimensions. Specifically, we show that the maximal pulling force is reduced by up to 4 orders of magnitude, and the maximal trapping stiffness is reduced by up to nearly 2 orders of magnitude. Our findings could prove useful for the development of micromachines that require a predictable mechanical response to arbitrary waves.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{sabbagh2026structures,
title = {{Structures resistant to manipulation by all wavefronts in two dimensions}},
author = {Asher Sabbagh and Michael Horodynski and Rida Khan and Brian Shi and Marin Soljačić},
journal = {Physical Review Research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1103/65mv-wdvr},
url = {http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/65mv-wdvr},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Structures resistant to manipulation by all wavefronts in two dimensions
AU - Asher Sabbagh
AU - Michael Horodynski
AU - Rida Khan
AU - Brian Shi
AU - Marin Soljačić
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Physical Review Research
DO - 10.1103/65mv-wdvr
UR - http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/65mv-wdvr
AB - Using light to manipulate small particles is a powerful tool with numerous practical applications across biophysics and nanotechnology. This experimental technique has achieved significant performance gains by employing shaped wavefronts, most commonly generated with spatial light modulators. Wavefront shaping has also enabled the manipulation of seemingly arbitrary objects beyond the reach of conventional beams. Contrary to this established assumption, we show here the existence of a wide variety of objects resistant to manipulation, even with the optimal wavefront shaping protocol. The counterintuitive shapes of these objects are found using inverse design in two dimensions, providing a foundation for their natural extension to three dimensions. Specifically, we show that the maximal pulling force is reduced by up to 4 orders of magnitude, and the maximal trapping stiffness is reduced by up to nearly 2 orders of magnitude. Our findings could prove useful for the development of micromachines that require a predictable mechanical response to arbitrary waves.
SN - 2643-1564
ER -