A team of physicists at Fudan University, working with colleagues from Henan University, both in China, and from Nanyang Technological University, in Singapore and Donostia International Physics Center, in Spain, has developed a way to generate topological structures in surface water using gravity water waves. In their study published in Nature, the group used their technique to generate structures such as wave vortices, skyrmions and Möbius strips.
Prior research has shown that various types of waves can be used to achieve desired goals in a variety of applications; optical tweezers, for example, are used to capture and manipulate individual or groups of molecules to create materials or test molecular properties. Sound waves can be used to control much larger particles, or even objects, such as the membrane in a stereo speaker.
For this new study, the research team found a way to generate topological structures on the surface of water by taking advantage of the noise that develops when waves are laid on top of one another, giving them topological properties that can be used to generate wave fields.
Prior research has shown that interesting topological properties can occur in nature when water is subjected to waves of various kinds—vortices, for example. The research team studied the factors that lead to structure generation on water surfaces and used their findings to build a system to generate such structures using gravity water waves, some of which interact with one another to create new types of structures or ripple patterns.
They call their system a form of “water tweezers” because it allows for manipulation of small amounts of water at a tiny scale—and also because the structures can be used to move small objects floating on the surface in desired ways.
The researchers suggest that their work has opened the door to using water tweezers in medical applications, such as pushing caplets inside the body to desired locations and then forcing them to open to release medicines. They also note that their structures could be created in larger venues, even at the scale of ocean waves.
More information:
Bo Wang et al, Topological water-wave structures manipulating particles, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08384-y
© 2025 Science X Network
Citation:
‘Water tweezers’: New technique generates topological structures with gravity water waves (2025, February 13)
retrieved 13 February 2025
from https://phys.org/news/2025-02-tweezers-technique-generates-topological-gravity.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.