Some laws of physics are considered so fundamental that they have served as the foundation of science for several centuries. However, modern technology allows scientists to create systems that temporarily circumvent these strict rules. In a recent study, Japanese physicists created a system of more than ten thousand particles that violated Newton's third law for an entire hour. According to this fundamental principle, passive bodies act on each other with equal forces, and action always generates equal opposition. As a result, no passive particle can suddenly push itself forward on its own without external influence.

During the development of this unusual system, a team of researchers exposed microscopic colloidal particles to an alternating electric field. The particles were placed in water and enclosed between specially made electrodes. Initially, larger elements created a greater electric current, attracting small particles to themselves. This led to a noticeable imbalance, due to which the elements began to spontaneously form pairs and move as self-moving units through a liquid medium. Passive particles literally started chasing each other, which is completely contrary to classical mechanics.

For comparison, the team conducted a similar experiment with suspensions containing particles of only one size. The results turned out to be completely different, because the elements demonstrated standard mutual interactions and gradually organized into a crystal lattice. Co-author of the study, Yutaka Sumino, noted that ordinary attracted particles eventually clump together into large clusters. A system with elements of different sizes was also grouped, but it never stuck together forever, constantly gathering and dividing. The scientist emphasized that the violation of the symmetry of action and counteraction generates completely new forms of collective movement and self-organization of matter.

The researchers suggest that similar interactions can occur in complex biological systems. Similar mechanisms are often observed in colonies of living cells and organized groups of animals. If these assumptions are confirmed in the course of further experiments, the studied mechanism can inspire engineers to create fundamentally new technologies. The discovery can become the basis for the development of programmable materials and advanced microrobototechnical systems. Physicists continue to discover the amazing properties of matter at the microscopic level, expanding the boundaries of our understanding of the world around us.