Like balls on a microscopic billiard table, some photosynthetic microalgae bounce along the light–shadow boundary of illuminated regions. However, unlike inanimate particles such as gas molecules, which reach thermal equilibrium and distribute uniformly within a container regardless of its shape or material, microalgae can cover a “patch” of light with distributions highly sensitive to boundary conditions. In a study published in PNAS, Roberto Di Leonardo and collaborators at the Biological Research Center in Hungary introduced a general method to predict these distributions based on container geometry and the rules governing collisions with its walls. Tested with the unicellular microalga Euglena gracilis, the method allows designing containers that can separate active particles according to their wall-bouncing rules, or defining scattering laws for robots capable of efficiently exploring complex environments.

Articolo:
Active billiards: Engineering boundaries for the spatial control of confined active particles”
Roberto Di Leonardo et al. PNAS, 122, e2426715122, (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2426715122

Contatti:
Roberto Di Leonardo
www:  www.dileonardolab.it