Related papers: Fundamental Limits of Optical Force and Torque
The physics involved in the fundamental conservation equations of the spin and orbital angular momenta leads to new laws and phenomena that I disclose. To this end, I analyse the scattering of an electromagnetic wavefield by the canonical…
In the field of optomechanics, radiation forces have provided a particularly high level of control over the frequency and dissipation of mechanical elements. Here we propose a class of optomechanical systems in which light exerts a…
The subject of optomechanics involves interactions between optical and mechanical degrees of freedom, and is currently of great interest as an enabler of fundamental investigations in quantum mechanics, as well as a platform for…
Structured beams of light can move small objects in surprising ways. Particularly striking examples include observations of polarization-dependent forces acting on optically isotropic objects and tractor beams that can pull objects opposite…
We calculate the optical force and torque applied to an electric dipole by a spinning light field. We find that the dissipative part of the force depends on the orbital energy flow of the field only, because the latter is related to the…
Optical vortex beams carry orbital angular momentum and thus exert torque on illuminated objects. A dielectric microtool - a microbarbell - is used in a two-laser optical tweezers to measure the torque of a focused optical vortex. The tool…
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle sets a lower bound on the sensitivity of continuous optical measurements of force. This bound, the standard quantum limit, can only be reached when a mechanical oscillator subjected to the force is…
Nanoscale fabrication techniques, computational inverse design, and fields from silicon photonics to metasurface optics are enabling transformative use of an unprecedented number of structural degrees of freedom in nanophotonics. A critical…
The recoil optical force that acts on emitters near a surface or waveguide relies on near-field directionality and conservation of momentum. It features desirable properties uncommon in optical forces, such as the ability to produce it via…
We put forward a theory on the optical force exerted upon a dipolar particle by a stationary and ergodic partially coherent light field. We show through a rigorous analysis that the ensemble averaged electromagnetic force is given in terms…
The calculation of optical force density distribution within a material is challenging at the nanoscale, where quantum and non-local effects emerge and macroscopic parameters such as permittivity become ill-defined. We demonstrate that the…
Optically-induced mechanical torque leading to the rotation of small objects requires the presence of absorption or breaking cylindrical symmetry of a scatterer. A spherical non-absorbing particle cannot rotate due to the conservation of…
A photon carries a momentum of, so one may anticipate light to "push" on any object standing in its path via the scattering force. In the absence of intensity gradient, using a light beam to pull a particle backwards is counter intuitive.…
The principle of optical trapping is conventionally based on the interaction of optical fields with linear induced polarizations. However, the optical force originating from the nonlinear polarization becomes significant when nonlinear…
Levitated optomechanics, a rapidly expanding field that employs light to monitor and manipulate the mechanical motion of levitated objects, is increasingly relevant across physics, engineering, and other fields. This technique, which…
Optical forces acting on nano-sized particles are typically too small to be useful for particle manipulation. We theoretically and numerically demonstrate a mechanism that can significantly enhance the optical force acting on a small…
Acoustic forces and torques are of immense importance for manipulation of particles, in particular in biomedical applications. While such forces and torques are well understood for small spherical particles with lowest-order monopole and…
Precise manipulation of small objects using light holds transformative potential across diverse fields. While research in optical trapping and manipulation predominantly relies on the attraction of solid matter to light intensity maxima,…
The force exerted on nanoparticles and atomic clusters by fast passing electrons like those employed in transmission electron microscopes are calculated and integrated over time to yield the momentum transferred from the electrons to the…
The force exerted on nanoparticles and atomic clusters by fast passing electrons like those employed in transmission electron microscopes are calculated and integrated over time to yield the momentum transferred from the electrons to the…