Spatiotemporally-resolved differential dynamic microscopy reveals strain-induced deformations in heterogeneous soft materials
Abstract
Understanding the microscopic behavior of materials in response to mechanical perturbations is a central challenge in soft matter, yet existing methods, which typically rely on microscopy-based imaging, often struggle with spatial heterogeneity and low signal-to-noise that are characteristic of many soft and biological materials. Additionally, many existing rheo-optical methods focus on the response to macro-scale forces rather than localized perturbations despite the importance of local stresses in biological and industrial applications of soft materials. Here, we present STroboscopically Averaged, time-Resolved Differential Dynamic Microscopy (starDDM) to investigate a sample's deformation across time and distance due to a cyclically applied local force. As proof-of-principle, we use this model-independent and tracer-free approach to map the motions of active cytoskeleton composites imposed by the movement of an optically trapped probe particle embedded within the complex network. We reveal how motor-driven restructuring and varying strain rates tune the magnitude and propagation of the response, which we further show decays with distance from the perturbation. This analytical platform fills a critical gap in micro-rheology, offering a versatile tool for probing the non-equilibrium dynamics of soft materials ranging from biopolymer networks to 3D-printed materials and soft robotics.
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BibTeX
@misc{razzaghi2026spatiotemporallyresolved,
title = {{Spatiotemporally-resolved differential dynamic microscopy reveals strain-induced deformations in heterogeneous soft materials}},
author = {Aysan Razzaghi and Mehrzad Sasanpour and Jasmine Ren and Caidric Gupit and Matthew E. Helgeson and Megan T. Valentine and Rae M. Robertson-Anderson and Ryan McGorty},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.32005},
eprint = {2610.32005},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.32005},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Spatiotemporally-resolved differential dynamic microscopy reveals strain-induced deformations in heterogeneous soft materials
AU - Aysan Razzaghi
AU - Mehrzad Sasanpour
AU - Jasmine Ren
AU - Caidric Gupit
AU - Matthew E. Helgeson
AU - Megan T. Valentine
AU - Rae M. Robertson-Anderson
AU - Ryan McGorty
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.32005
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.32005
AB - Understanding the microscopic behavior of materials in response to mechanical perturbations is a central challenge in soft matter, yet existing methods, which typically rely on microscopy-based imaging, often struggle with spatial heterogeneity and low signal-to-noise that are characteristic of many soft and biological materials. Additionally, many existing rheo-optical methods focus on the response to macro-scale forces rather than localized perturbations despite the importance of local stresses in biological and industrial applications of soft materials. Here, we present STroboscopically Averaged, time-Resolved Differential Dynamic Microscopy (starDDM) to investigate a sample's deformation across time and distance due to a cyclically applied local force. As proof-of-principle, we use this model-independent and tracer-free approach to map the motions of active cytoskeleton composites imposed by the movement of an optically trapped probe particle embedded within the complex network. We reveal how motor-driven restructuring and varying strain rates tune the magnitude and propagation of the response, which we further show decays with distance from the perturbation. This analytical platform fills a critical gap in micro-rheology, offering a versatile tool for probing the non-equilibrium dynamics of soft materials ranging from biopolymer networks to 3D-printed materials and soft robotics.
ER -