Related papers: Ultrafast photomechanical transduction through the…
We introduce a novel approach for all-optical trapping and manipulation of absorbing aerosol particles based on a photophoretic force. We demonstrate experimentally, in open air, the robust three-dimensional guiding of agglomerates of…
We use an x-ray free-electron laser to study the ultrafast lattice dynamics following above band-gap photoexcitation of the incipient ferroelectric potassium-tantalate, \kto. % We use ultrafast near-UV (central wavelength 266\,nm and 50 fs…
We experimentally demonstrate unidirectional light transmission through two-layer nanostructured materials considering that the horizontal-to-vertical-polarization conversion efficiency in the forward direction and the…
We propose a novel way to search for feebly interacting massive particles, exploiting two properties of systems involving collisions between high energy electrons and intense laser pulses. The first property is that the…
Interferometric methods for detecting the motion of a levitated nanoparticle provide a route to the quantum ground state, but such methods are currently limited by mode mismatch between the reference beam and the dipolar field scattered by…
The sharp magnetic discontinuities which naturally appear in solar magnetic flux tubes driven by turbulent photospheric motions are associated with intense currents. \citet{Par83} proposed that these currents can become unstable to a…
Extreme states of matter exist throughout the universe e.g. inside planetary cores, stars or astrophysical jets. Such conditions are generated in the laboratory in the interaction of powerful lasers with solids, and their evolution can be…
Optical tweezers, formed by tightly focused propagating laser beams, offer the unique capability to trap and control microscopic particles over a broad size range. However, the diffraction inherent to propagating optical fields, limits the…
We assess the potentiality of several geometries of metallic nanodimers (one of the simplest thermoplasmonic systems) as candidates for active particles (nanoswimmers) propelled and controlled by light (phototaxis). The studied nanodimers…
We consider a nanoparticle levitated in a Paul trap in ultrahigh cryogenic vacuum, and look for the conditions which allow for a stringent noninterferometric test of spontaneous collapse models. In particular we compare different possible…
The ever-growing field of microfluidics requires precise and flexible control over fluid flow at the micro- and nanoscales. Current constraints demand a variety of controllable components for performing different operations inside closed…
Modern laser sources nowadays deliver ultrashort light pulses reaching few cycles in duration, high energies beyond the Joule level and peak powers exceeding several terawatt (TW). When such pulses propagate through optically-transparent…
Nanophotonic objects like plasmonic nanoparticles and colloidal quantum dots can complement the functionality of molecular dyes in biomedical optics. However, their operation is usually governed by spontaneous processes, which results in…
Research has demonstrated that zeolite nucleation and growth can be controlled by fine-tuning chemical composition, temperature, and pressure, resulting in structures with diverse porosities and functionalities. Nevertheless, current energy…
Nanoparticles levitated by optical fields under vacuum conditions have applications in quantum science, the study of nanothermodynamics and precision sensing. Existing techniques for loading optical traps require ambient conditions, and…
We demonstrate the potential of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFEL) to advancethe understanding of complex plasma dynamics by allowing for the first time nanometer and femtosecond resolution at the same time in plasma diagnostics. Plasma…
Optical tweezers, the three-dimensional confinement of a nanoparticle by a strongly focused beam of light, have been widely employed in investigating biomaterial nanomechanics, nanoscopic fluid properties, and ultrasensitive detections in…
Plasmonic nano-tweezers use intense electric field gradients to generate optical forces able to trap nano-objects in liquids. However, part of the incident light is absorbed into the metal, and a supplementary thermophoretic force acting on…
We investigate the interplay of thermophoretic force and interfacial tension on the capillary filling dynamics of a Newtonian nanofluid in a microchannel. In our model, we also consider an intricate thermofluidic coupling by taking the…
We study the time-resolved photoassociation of ultracold sodium in an optical dipole trap. The photoassociation laser excites pairs of atoms to molecular states of large total angular momentum at high intensities (above 20 kW/cm$^{2}$).…