Microparticle transport networks with holographic optical tweezers and cavitation bubbles

Optical transport networks for active absorbing microparticles are made with holographic optical tweezers. The particles are powered by the optical potentials that make the network and transport themselves via random vapor propelled hops to different traps without the requirement for external forces or microfabricated barriers. The geometries explored for the optical traps are square lattices, circular arrays and random arrays. The degree distribution for the connections or possible paths between the traps are localized like in the case of random networks. The commute times to travel across $n$ different traps scale as $n^2$, in agreement with random walks on connected networks. Once a particle travels the network, others are attracted as a result of the vapor explosions.