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Holographic acoustic tweezers
Asier Marzo1,2, Bruce W Drinkwater3
1Faculty of Engineering, University of Bristol, BS8 1TR Bristol, United Kingdom; amarzo@hotmail.com.
Summary
Holographic acoustic tweezers (HAT) now enable simultaneous manipulation of multiple millimetric particles, similar to holographic optical tweezers but with unique advantages. This breakthrough opens doors for novel displays and micro-assembly applications.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Acoustics
- Micro-manipulation
Background:
- Acoustic tweezers utilize sound radiation forces for non-contact manipulation, offering advantages over optical tweezers like higher trapping forces and broader object/medium compatibility.
- Holographic optical tweezers (HOT) revolutionized particle manipulation by enabling independent control of multiple particles, leading to applications in 3D microstructure assembly and soft matter probing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and demonstrate the first experimental realization of holographic acoustic tweezers (HAT).
- To explore the capabilities of HAT in manipulating multiple millimetric particles simultaneously.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of a 40-kHz airborne HAT system using two 256-emitter phased arrays.
- Experimental manipulation of up to 25 individual millimetric particles concurrently.
Main Results:
- Demonstration of simultaneous, independent manipulation of multiple millimetric particles using HAT.
- Identification of optimal conditions for maximum trapping forces: Nyquist sampling and emission phase discretization below π/8 radians.
- HAT exhibits comparable manipulation capabilities to HOT on a wavelength scale, while retaining unique acoustic advantages.
Conclusions:
- Holographic acoustic tweezers (HAT) represent a significant advancement, mirroring the multi-particle manipulation capabilities of HOT.
- HAT retains the inherent advantages of acoustic tweezers, including higher force efficiency and versatility across different materials and media.
- Potential future applications include novel levitating voxel displays, micro- and millimetric-scale assembly, and multi-object manipulation for biomedical purposes.
