Programmable persistent random walks in active Brownian particles govern emergent dynamics

Self-propelled particles serve as minimal models for emulating the dynamic self-organization of microorganisms, yet most synthetic systems remain limited to a single mode of motion, namely active Brownian particles (ABPs). Here, we present an experimental strategy to encode various persistent random walks in ABPs by combining light-modulated propulsion strength with magnetic control of propulsion direction. Our system enables programmable Lévy walks with tunable step-length distributions, run-an