Topological protection of multiparticle dissipative transport

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates experimentally and theoretically that colloidal particles can be transported in a topologically protected manner using magnetic field modulation, enabling robust and controllable motion along specific crystallographic directions.

Contribution

It introduces a method for achieving topologically protected dissipative transport of colloids via magnetic field modulation, with potential applications in chemical reaction control.

Findings

Colloidal particles can be transported along crystallographic directions using magnetic field loops.

Transport is topologically protected and can be controlled independently for different colloid types.

The approach enables automatic quality control in chemical reactions.

Abstract

Topological protection allows robust transport of localized phenomena such as quantum information, solitons, and dislocations. The transport can be either dissipative or non-dissipative. Here, we experimentally demonstrate and theoretically explain the topologically protected dissipative motion of colloidal particles above a periodic hexagonal magnetic pattern. By driving the system with periodic modulation loops of an external and spatially homogeneous magnetic field, we achieve total control over the motion of diamagnetic and paramagnetic colloids. We can transport simultaneously and independently each type of colloid along any of the six crystallographic directions of the pattern via adiabatic or deterministic ratchet motion. Both types of motion are topologically protected. As an application, we implement an automatic topologically protected quality control of a chemical reaction between functionalized colloids. Our results are relevant to other systems with the same symmetry.