Related papers: Sun-tracking optical element realized using therma…
Refraction at a smooth interface is accompanied by momentum transfer normal to the interface. We show that corrugating an initially smooth, totally reflecting, non-metallic interface provides a momentum kick parallel to the surface, which…
The nature of light-matter interaction is governed by the spatial-temporal structures of a light field and material wavefunctions. The emergence of the light beam with transverse phase vortex, or equivalently orbital angular momentum (OAM)…
In the field of transformation optics, metamaterials mimic the effect of coordinate transformations on electromagnetic waves, creating the illusion that the waves are propagating through a virtual space. Transforming space by appropriately…
We propose and theoretically analyze an experiment where displacement sensing of an optically levitated nanoparticle in front of a surface can be used to measure the induced dipole-dipole interaction between the nanoparticle and its thermal…
A longstanding challenge in personal thermal management has been transitioning from static, appearance-limited passive radiative cooling (PDRC) materials to systems that are both dynamically adaptive and visually versatile. The central…
Recent research has uncovered a remarkable ability to manipulate and control electromagnetic fields to produce effects such as perfect imaging and spatial cloaking. To achieve spatial cloaking, the index of refraction is manipulated to flow…
Nanoscale photothermal sources find important applications in theranostics, imaging, and catalysis. In this context, graphene offers a unique suite of optical, electrical, and thermal properties, which we exploit to show self-consistent…
Monolayer graphene absorbs 2.3 percent of the incident visible light. This 'small' absorption has been used to emphasize the visual transparency of graphene, but it in fact means that multilayer graphene absorbs a sizable fraction of…
Leveraging thermal losses as a useful consequence of surface plasmons in metal nanostructures has gained traction in recent years. This thermalization of hot electrons also induces a resistance change to an applied bias current, which we…
We summarize the R&D activities on a novel semitransparent microstrip sensor to be used on laser-based alignment systems for silicon trackers. The new sensor is used both for particle tracking and laser detection. The aim of this research…
Materials of which the optical response is determined by their structure are of much interest both for their fundamental properties and applications. Examples range from simple gratings to photonic crystals. Obtaining control over the…
Active optics has attracted considerable interest from researchers in synchrotron radiation facilities, because of its capacity for x-ray wavefront correction. Here, we report a novel and efficient technique for correcting or modulating a…
Fast variability of optical objects is an interesting though poorly explored subject in modern astronomy. Real-time data processing and identification of transient celestial events in the images is very important for such study as it allows…
Real-space self-interaction corrected (time-dependent) density functional theory has been used to investigate the ground-state electronic structure and optical absorption profiles of a series of linear oligomers inspired by the natural…
Object tracking is an important step in robotics and reautonomous driving pipelines, which has to generalize to previously unseen and complex objects. Existing high-performing methods often rely on pre-captured object views to build…
Light carries momentum and, upon interaction with material structures, can exert forces on them. Here, we show that a planar structure with asymmetric optical response is spontaneously accelerated when placed in an environment at a…
Radiation pressure forces in a focussed laser beam can be used to trap microscopic absorbing particles against a substrate. Calculations based on momentum transfer considerations show that stable trapping occurs before the beam waist, and…
Adaptive optics can focus light through opaque media by compensating the random phase delay acquired while crossing a scattering curtain. The technique is commonly exploited in many fields, including astrophysics, microscopy, biomedicine…
A novel electronic film solar energy concentrator with embedded micro-mirrors that track the sun is described. The potential viability of this new concept is presented. Due to miniaturization, the amount of material needed for the optical…
Wavelength discriminating systems typically consist of heavy benchtop-based instruments, comprising diffractive optics, moving parts, and adjacent detectors. For simple wavelengths measurements, such as lab-on-chip light source calibration…