Related papers: Precise position- and angular-controllable optical…
The coupling of laser light to matter can exert sub-cycle coherent control over material properties, with optically induced currents and magnetism shown to be controllable on ultrafast femtosecond time scales. Here, by employing laser light…
Visualization and manipulation of nanoscale matter is one of the main and current challenges in nanosciences. To this aim, different techniques have been recently developed to non-invasively trap and manipulate nano-specimens, like…
Tightly focused optical dipole traps induce vector light shifts ("fictitious magnetic fields") which complicate their use for single-atom trapping and manipulation. The problem can be mitigated by adding a larger, real magnetic field, but…
Vector vortex beams have played a fundamental role in the better understanding of coherence and polarization. They are described by spatially inhomogeneous polarization states, which present a rich optical mode structure that has attracted…
We investigate the propagation of an optical vector vortex weakly interacting with a coherently prepared atomic medium (phaseonium) in a three-level $\Lambda$ configuration. The vector beam consists of vortex pulse pairs with right- and…
We propose to introduce additional control in levitated optomechanics by trapping a meta-atom, i.e. a subwavelength and high-permittivity dielectric particle supporting Mie resonances. In particular, we theoretically demonstrate that…
Angular momentum plays a central role in a multitude of phenomena in quantum mechanics, recurring in every length scale from the microscopic interactions of light and matter to the macroscopic behavior of superfluids. Vortex beams, carrying…
We demonstrate the excitation, using a structured light beam carrying orbital angular momentum, of the center of mass motion of a single atom in the transverse direction to the beam's propagation. This interaction is achieved with a vortex…
We demonstrate that a single sub-wavelength nanoaperture in a metallic thin film can be used to achieve dynamic optical trapping and control of a single dielectric nanowire. A nanoaperture can trap a nanowire, control its orientation when…
When reflected from an interface, a laser beam generally drifts and tilts away from the path predicted by ray optics, an intriguing consequence of its finite transverse extent. Such beam shifts manifest more dramatically for structured…
High-precision micromanipulation techniques, including optical tweezers and hydrodynamic trapping, have garnered wide-spread interest. Recent advances in optofluidic multiplexed assembly and microrobotics demonstrate significant progress,…
We study the self-focusing dynamics and collapse of vortex Airy optical beams in a Kerr medium. The collapse is suppressed compared to a non- vortex Airy beam in a Kerr medium as a result of the existence of vortex fields. The locations of…
Optical tweezers revolutionized the manipulation of nanoscale objects. Typically, tunable manipulations of optical tweezers rely on adjusting either the trapping laser beams or the optical environment surrounding the nanoparticles. We…
We demonstrate control of the absolute phase of an optical lattice with respect to a single trapped ion. The lattice is generated by off-resonant free-space laser beams, we actively stabilize its phase by measuring its ac-Stark shift on a…
Structured light beams, such as optical vortices carrying orbital angular momentum, are essential for applications ranging from low-power optical communications to high-intensity laser-matter interactions. However, scaling their power and…
Optically levitated particles have great potential to form the basis of novel quantum- enhanced sensors. These systems are very well suited for inertial sensing, as the particles are isolated from the environment when they are levitated at…
Orbital angular momentum is a fundamental degree of freedom of light that manifests itself even at the single photon level. The coherent generation and beaming of structured light usually requires bulky and slow components. Using wave…
Vortex-carrying matter waves, such as chiral electron beams, are of significant interest in both applied and fundamental science. Continuous wave electron vortex beams are commonly prepared via passive phase masks imprinting a transverse…
We study the formation of off-axis optical vortices propagating inside a double-Raman gain atomic medium. The atoms interact with two weak probe fields as well as two strong pump beams which can carry orbital angular momentum (OAM). We…
Vortex crystals are geometric arrays of vortices found in various physics fields, owing their regular internal structure to mutual interactions within a spatially confined system. In optics, vortex crystals may form spontaneously within a…