Controlling collective rotational patterns of magnetic rotors

Daiki Matsunaga, Joshua K. Hamilton, Fanlong Meng, Nick Bukin, Elizabeth L. Martin, Feodor Y. Ogrin, Julia M. Yeomans and Ramin Golestanian ()
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Daiki Matsunaga: University of Oxford
Joshua K. Hamilton: University of Exeter
Fanlong Meng: University of Oxford
Nick Bukin: University of Exeter
Elizabeth L. Martin: University of Exeter
Feodor Y. Ogrin: University of Exeter
Julia M. Yeomans: University of Oxford
Ramin Golestanian: University of Oxford

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Magnetic actuation is widely used in engineering specific forms of controlled motion in microfluidic applications. A challenge, however, is how to extract different desired responses from different components in the system using the same external magnetic drive. Using experiments, simulations, and theoretical arguments, we present emergent rotational patterns in an array of identical magnetic rotors under an uniform, oscillating magnetic field. By changing the relative strength of the external field strength versus the dipolar interactions between the rotors, different collective modes are selected by the rotors. When the dipole interaction is dominant the rotors swing upwards or downwards in alternating stripes, reflecting the spin-ice symmetry of the static configuration. For larger spacings, when the external field dominates over the dipolar interactions, the rotors undergo full rotations, with different quarters of the array turning in different directions. Our work sheds light on how collective behaviour can be engineered in magnetic systems.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12665-w

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