Related papers: Photo-Motile Structures
When ensembles of atoms interact with coherent light fields a great many interesting and useful effects can be observed. In particular, the group velocity of the coherent fields can be modified dramatically. Electromagnetically induced…
Theoretical and experimental evidence of light driven structuring of glasses is presented. We show that light overcomes Coulomb repulsion and effective electron-electron interaction in glasses under strong light pumping becomes attractive.…
This paper contains a thorough investigation of the performance of electrically activated layered soft dielectric composite actuators under plane deformation. Noting that the activation can be induced controlling either the voltage or the…
We study colloidal particle dynamics of a model glass system using confocal and fluorescence microscopy as the sample evolves from a hard-sphere glass to a liquid with attractive interparticle interactions. The transition from hard-sphere…
Strong light-matter interactions can be exploited to modify properties of quantum materials both in and out of thermal equilibrium. Recent studies suggest electromagnetic fields in photonic structures can hybridize with condensed matter…
We present the light-induced manipulation of absorbing liquid droplets in air. Ink droplets from a printer cartridge are used to demonstrate that absorbing liquids - just like their solid counterparts - can interact with regions of high…
Optical tweezers have been widely used for optical manipulation of various particles. At present, there are different type of optical tweezers. Among them, holographic optical tweezers have attracted growing attention as a powerful tools…
The interaction of light with short light pulses is relevant in optical traps, optical tweezers, and many other applications. The theoretical description of such polychromatic light-matter interaction is challenging, and more so when the…
We show how bond order emerges due to light mediated synthetic interactions in ultracold atoms in optical lattices in an optical cavity. This is a consequence of the competition between both short- and long-range interactions designed by…
Novel optical phenomena, including electromagnetically induced transparency, slow light, superluminal light propagation, have recently been demonstrated in diverse physical implementations. These phenomena are challenging to realize in…
Azo-dye-doped liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are known to show a strong photomechanical response. We report on experiments that suggest that photothermal heating is the underlying mechanism in surface-constrained geometry. In particular,…
Active particles under soft confinement such as droplets or vesicles present intriguing phenomena, as collective motion emerges alongside the deformation of the environment. A model is employed to systematically investigate droplet…
Electrodynamic interactions between biomolecules are of potential biological interest for signaling warranting investigation of their activation through various mechanisms in living systems. Here, using as model system a light harvesting…
Recent experiments have revealed ultrastrong coupling between light and matter as a promising avenue for modifying material properties, such as electrical transport, chemical reaction rates, and even superconductivity. Here, we explore…
The pronounced light-matter interactions in photonic crystals make them interesting as opto-fludic "building blocks" for lab-on-a-chip applications. We show how conducting electrolytes cause dissipation and smearing of the…
Phototaxis is the movement of microorganisms towards or away from light. In presence of dim (intense) light, microorganisms move towards (away from) the light sources, which is known as positive (negative) phototaxis. In this study, we…
We show that a cooperative atom response in an optical lattice to resonant incident light can be employed for precise control and manipulation of light on a subwavelength scale. Specific collective excitation modes of the system that result…
The effects of visible and infrared light on potassium atoms embedded in a nanoporous glass matrix are investigated. Photodesorption by visible light enhances the atomic mobility and causes the formation of metallic nanoparticles. Two…
Natural active systems routinely reshape and reorganize their environments through sustained local interactions. Examples of decentralized collective construction are common in nature, e.g., many insects achieve large-scale constructions…
Electroactive soft elastomers require huge electric field for a meaningful actuation. We demonstrate that this can be dramatically reduced and giant deformations can be produced by application of suitably chosen heterogeneous actuators. The…