Synchronization of colloidal oscillators

Christiaan Huygens invented pendulum clocks and observed ‘an odd sympathy’ that pendulum clocks hanging on the same wall autonomously synchronize with one another. However, the phenomenon was a mysterious until coupling by the wall was shown to be the driving force for the synchronization. Indeed, interactions between dynamical systems promote synchronization, and we aim to study such phenomena on a micro scale by designing colloidal oscillators. Using self-assembly of microswimmers with passive structures, we develop colloidal clocks that oscillate. We show that pairs of microclocks are able to synchronize with each other, in spite of thermal noise, and compare well with a stochastic model. Further, assemblage of clocks are achieved to study how the clocks can achieve synchronicity in situations of spatial frustration.