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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 50: Focus Session: Controlling Microparticles and Biological Cells by Ultrasound (joint session BP/CPP/DY)
DY 50.6: Vortrag
Donnerstag, 12. März 2026, 12:15–12:30, BAR/0106
Optimizing acoustically propelled microrobots using genetic algorithms — •Lennart Gevers1,2,3 and Raphael Wittkowski1,2,3 — 1Department of Physics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany — 2DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen, Germany — 3Institute of Theoretical Physics, Center for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
The promising potential applications of acoustically propelled microparticles demand methods to create particle designs that allow for targeted autonomous motion. Current methods remain largely based on experiments due to the intricate nature of the underlying dynamics. Large-scale computational studies, specifically when combined with optimization algorithms, are impeded by the cost of traditional acoustofluidic simulations.
In this talk, we present the implementation of an analytical framework describing non-Brownian motion of colloidal molecules driven by acoustic streaming. The analytical framework is combined with vectorized, GPU-accelerated, and distributed computation. This enables fast, large-scale simulations, where 105 trajectories over 10 s real time can be simulated on a normal personal computer within one minute. Coupling this approach with genetic algorithms reveals particle geometries, control parameters, and underlying principles for acoustically propelled particles that exhibit controllable and stable behavior over long times.
Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) – 535275785.
Keywords: active matter; acoustic propulsion; colloidal molecules; numerical simulations; optimization