Collaborative Research: A Dynamical Systems Approach to Shepherding and Sorting Microparticles in Fluids

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Engineering problems requiring the controlled transport and positioning of solid particles suspended in fluids on a microscopic scale arise in contexts ranging from biomedical research to precision manufacturing. Technology enabling particle manipulation without direct mechanical contact between particles and manipulators is required in situations when the particles are fragile (like biological cells) or when high throughput is critical. This award supports fundamental research advancing a strategy whereby slender vibrating probes are used to excite patterns of flow in particle-laden fluids that in turn advect particles in desired ways. Preliminary results indicate that this approach can be used not only to achieve particle transport and positioning but also to separate particles according to physical attributes like size and geometry. The project requires coordinated activity by members of the research team in mathematical, computational, and experimental domains. Outcomes from this activity will include both scientific results with diverse practical implications and novel mechanisms for training undergraduate and graduate students across traditional disciplinary lines.Technical issues to be addressed include the development of mathematical models with varying degrees of detail representing fluid flows near systems of vibrating probes, the development of approximate analytical models for the time-averaged dynamics of inertial particles advected by such flows, and the development of top-level control strategies for archetypical problems in particle transport and sorting. All of these will build upon successful preliminary studies by the project team and will be validated with numerical simulations exploiting high-fidelity computational models and with physical experiments exploiting a unique laboratory platform under development.