GALCIT Colloquium

Friday, October 16, 2020

3:00pm to 4:00pm

Online Event

Photophoretic levitation as a new mechanism of flight

Igor Bargatin, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), University of Pennsylvania,

Photophoresis, a light-induced thermal transport and levitation mechanism, has been studied and used with micrometer-scale particles for over a century. The Bargatin group recently demonstrated photophoretic levitation and propulsion of macroscopic (millimeter-scale) plates—thousands of times larger than ever before realized. The initial demonstration utilized a specially engineered metamaterial called nanocardboard but more recently, we demonstrated that simple polymer films can be levitated as well. In addition, we created an atmospheric-pressure analog of the Crookes radiometer - a century old device that converts incident light into rotational motion. I will discuss the possible applications of photophoretic microflyers on Mars and Earth.

Live Zoom Event: < https://caltech.zoom.us/j/84318946897 >

Box Recordings for Caltech: <https://caltech.box.com/s/grvxyi8ljwrrpwjq2bkkzy7vbf40235h>

Available for public on Youtube: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X4br9lqdJU>

For more information, please contact Benjamin Riviere by email at [email protected].

Event Series

GALCIT Colloquium Series

Event Sponsors

Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT) More Events from this Sponsor