Field-Programmable Mobile Magneto-Photonic Metaparticles for Active Light Manipulation and Steering

TL;DR

This paper introduces magneto-photonic metaparticles that combine magnetic actuation with nanoimprinted photonic surfaces, enabling active, programmable light steering and movement within complex media for advanced optical applications.

Contribution

The work presents a novel hybrid design of mobile, magnetically controlled photonic metaparticles that integrate metasurface reconfigurability with magnetic mobility for dynamic light manipulation.

Findings

Demonstrated controlled locomotion and beam steering in aqueous media.

Achieved programmable, magnetically actuated light control.

Proposed scalable nanoimprint fabrication process.

Abstract

Controlling the flow of light within complex and dynamic environments is essential for a wide range of applications, from deep-tissue imaging and optogenetics to precision phototherapy. Typically, such light flows are controlled using external optical systems requiring line-of-sight access or by embedded nanoparticle scatterers with limited directional control, underscoring the need for mobile photonic agents capable of actively delivering and steering light within complex media. Here, we present magneto-photonic metaparticles: mobile, magnetically actuated microstructures that integrate a magnetic core with a nanoimprinted photonic surface. This hybrid design merges the reconfigurability of photonic metasurfaces with the mobility of magnetic actuation, enabling programmable translation, rotation, and real-time beam steering in aqueous media. In a concept-proof demonstration, we realize polymeric metaparticles with embedded magnetic core and nanoimprinted surface that exhibit controlled locomotion and active, magnetically programmable beam steering. Our design approach further points to more sophisticated metaparticle designs with high-efficiency, polarization-insensitive light steering, compatible with a scalable, single-step nanoimprint process. The mobile magneto-photonic metaparticle platform combines metasurface-level optical control with magnetic mobility, offering a versatile and scalable approach for active photonic control in complex environments.