arXiv subjects

Gabriel Alkuino

Publications and source records attributed to Gabriel Alkuino.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Bonded-particle model for magneto-elastic rods

We develop a bonded-particle model for magneto-elastic rods that unifies large deformations, contact, and long-range magnetic interactions within a single discrete-element framework. The rod is discretized into orientable particles connected by co-rotational bonds that capture stretching, shearing, twisting, and bending through a symmetric decomposition of relative displacement and rotation. Magnetic coupling is introduced at the particle level: each particle carries a dipole moment that rotates with it, enabling both external-field actuation and long-range dipole--dipole interactions without modifying the structural formulation. We implement the model in LAMMPS to take advantage of its parallel efficiency, long-range electrostatic solvers, and multiphysics capabilities. We validate the model on three problems spanning writhing instabilities, non-uniform magnetic actuation, and dipole-induced mechanical hysteresis. To demonstrate multiphysics capability, we couple the model with a lattice Boltzmann fluid solver via the immersed boundary method and simulate filaments in oscillatory channel flow and fluid pumping by magnetically actuated cilia arrays. Across all examples, the model shows good agreement with experimental, analytical, and numerical reference results.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2026

Multistable energy landscapes for adaptive microscopic machines

The past few years have seen great strides in our ability to build synthetic microscopic machines. However, the function of such machines is often controlled directly by externally applied fields that deterministically specify the instantaneous machine dynamics. A crucial step towards machines that can respond adaptively to changes in their environment is the ability to program multiple functions that actuate under the same external driving field, so that their internal state dictates which function is executed. Here, we demonstrate that energy landscapes with designed multistability enable the same externally applied field to drive multiple configurations and dynamic responses in microscopic machines, enabling increasing levels of autonomy. We show three examples. First, we write a bistable energy landscape into a microscopic device, enabling the device to exhibit two stable mechanical configurations under the same external magnetic field. Next, adding a second degree of freedom enables differing dynamic responses to the same external magnetic field, which we direct into net displacement of the environment. Finally, we demonstrate how a microscopic machine with a continuous symmetry autonomously channels a single degree-of-freedom magnetic actuation into locomotion and adaptively responds to forces induced by other machines.

cond-mat.soft↗