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We report the experimental observation of slow-light and coherent storage in a setting where light is tightly confined in the transverse directions. By interfacing a tapered optical nanofiber with a cold atomic ensemble, electromagnetically…
The problem of assigning a momentum to an electromagnetic wave packet propagating inside an insulator has become known under the name of the Abraham-Minkowski controversy. In the present paper we re-examine the question, first through a…
We derive an exact expression for the radiation pressure of a quasi- monochromatic plane wave incident from the free space onto the flat surface of a semi-infinite dielectric medium. In order to account for the total optical momentum…
We discuss optical forces exerted on particles, either dielectric or metallic, near a subwavelength slit illuminated by a photonic nanojet. We compare those cases in which the Mie resonances are or are not excited. The configurations on…
Not long after the laser was invented, it has been marked as a candidate source of strong, high-frequency electromagnetic radiation for acceleration of particles. Indeed, while the complex particle accelerator facilities today are an…
Precise measuring the deforming force and observation of the deformation dynamics along with difficulties of micro sample preparation are the main problems which make the micro-scale experiments difficult. Here we present a method for…
An examination of the propagation of intense 200 fs pulses in water reveals light filaments not sustained by the balance between Kerr-induced self-focusing and plasma-induced defocusing. Their appearance is interpreted as the consequence of…
We report optical trapping and transport of nanoparticles in a moving interference pattern in hollow-core photonic crystal fiber at atmospheric pressure, when competition between trapping and drag forces causes the particle velocity to…
Electromagnetic waves carry energy as well as linear and angular momenta. When a light pulse is reflected from, transmitted through, or absorbed by a material medium, energy and momentum (both linear and angular) are generally exchanged,…
Subwavelength aperture arrays in thin metal films can enable enhanced transmission of light and matter (atom) waves. The phenomenon relies on resonant excitation and interference of the plasmon or matter waves on the metal surface. We show…
We illustrate the possibility of light trapping and funneling in periodic arrays of metallic nanoparticles. A controllable minimum in the transmission spectra of such constructs arises from a collective plasmon resonance phenomenon, where…
Optically trapped nanospheres in high-vaccum experience little friction and hence are promising for ultra-sensitive force detection. Here we demonstrate measurement times exceeding $10^5$ seconds and zeptonewton force sensitivity with…
In order to make plausible the idea that light exerts a pressure on matter, some introductory physics texts consider the force exerted by an electromagnetic wave on an electron. The argument as presented is both mathematically incorrect and…
Interactions between light and conducting nanostructures can result in a variety of novel and fascinating phenomena. These properties may have wide applications, but their underlying mechanisms have not been completely understood. From…
Spherical plasma lens models are known to suffer from a severe over-pressure problem, with some observations requiring lenses with central pressures up to millions of times in excess of the ambient ISM. There are two ways that lens models…
Nanomechanical resonators are widely operated as force and mass sensors with sensitivities in the zepto-Newton and yocto-gram regime, respectively. Their accuracy, however, is usually undermined by high uncertainties in the effective mass…
Though the interfacial tractor beam experiment supports the increase of photon momentum (i.e., Minkowski momentum), it is still a matter of investigation whether, inside matter, the photon momentum always increases. Considering the…
We study gravitational lensing when plasma surrounds the lens. An extra deflection angle is induced by the plasma in addition to the deflection generated by gravity. An inhomogeneous plasma distribution generates a greater effect than a…
When introducing a nanoparticle into an optical trap, its mass and shape are not immediately apparent. We combine a charge-based mass measurement with a shape determination method based on light scattering and an analysis of the damping…
Many experiments in the field of optical levitation with nanoparticles today are limited by the available technologies for particle loading. Here we introduce a new particle loading method that solves the main challenges, namely…