Directing assembly and encoding information in active matter via light patterns

The ability of active matter to assemble into reconfigurable nonequilibrium structures has drawn considerable interest in recent years. A unique property of active particles is the relation that exists between the steady-state particle density and the local self-propulsion velocity. This provides a novel avenue for promoting self-assembly through the spatial control of activity. In experiments, this has enabled to trigger the assembly of synthetic self-propelled particles, for which the application of a specific light pattern has allowed for the programmable, light-induced, self-assembly of active rectification devices. Here, using simulations and data science, we unravel the interplay between the properties of the active particles and the features of the light pattern, propose protocols to control smart templated assembly and motion in active matter, and identify a metric to quantify the amount of information encoded in the active fluid following the application of the light pattern.