1
|
Emile O, Emile J. Experimental analysis of submicrometer optical intensity distributions after an opaque disk. APPLIED OPTICS 2020; 59:1678-1683. [PMID: 32225673 DOI: 10.1364/ao.387699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Generation of subwavelength beam sizes is a fascinating challenge with several implications. The observation of a 120 nm laser spot in the visible part of the spectrum is reported here. It has a size variation of less than 10% in a distance of $ 50\;\unicode{x00B5}{\rm m} $50µm along the axis of propagation. This so-called Arago spot results from the diffraction of the light from a laser diode by the edges of an absorbing disk. Applications are discussed and hollow beams carrying orbital angular momentum with a 400 nm diameter dark spot in the center are evidenced. This paves the way toward atom lithography via atom guiding or new spectroscopy on forbidden transitions.
Collapse
|
2
|
All-optical generation and ultrafast tuning of non-linear spin Hall current. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17102. [PMID: 30459404 PMCID: PMC6243999 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35378-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Spin Hall effect, one of the cornerstones in spintronics refers to the emergence of an imbalance in the spin density transverse to a charge flow in a sample under voltage bias. This study points to a novel way for an ultrafast generation and tuning of a unidirectional nonlinear spin Hall current by means of subpicosecond laser pulses of optical vortices. When interacting with matter, the optical orbital angular momentum (OAM) carried by the vortex and quantified by its topological charge is transferred to the charge carriers. The residual spin-orbital coupling in the sample together with confinement effects allow exploiting the absorbed optical OAM for spatio-temporally controlling the spin channels. Both the non-linear spin Hall current and the dynamical spin Hall angle increase for a higher optical topological charge. The reason is the transfer of a higher amount of OAM and the enhancement of the effective spin-orbit interaction strength. No bias voltage is needed. We demonstrate that the spin Hall current can be all-optically generated in an open circuit geometry for ring-structured samples. These results follow from a full-fledged propagation of the spin-dependent quantum dynamics on a time-space grid coupled to the phononic environment. The findings point to a versatile and controllable tool for the ultrafast generation of spin accumulations with a variety of applications such as a source for ultrafast spin transfer torque and charge and spin current pulse emitter.
Collapse
|
3
|
Gao D, Ding W, Nieto-Vesperinas M, Ding X, Rahman M, Zhang T, Lim C, Qiu CW. Optical manipulation from the microscale to the nanoscale: fundamentals, advances and prospects. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2017; 6:e17039. [PMID: 30167291 PMCID: PMC6062326 DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Since the invention of optical tweezers, optical manipulation has advanced significantly in scientific areas such as atomic physics, optics and biological science. Especially in the past decade, numerous optical beams and nanoscale devices have been proposed to mechanically act on nanoparticles in increasingly precise, stable and flexible ways. Both the linear and angular momenta of light can be exploited to produce optical tractor beams, tweezers and optical torque from the microscale to the nanoscale. Research on optical forces helps to reveal the nature of light-matter interactions and to resolve the fundamental aspects, which require an appropriate description of momenta and the forces on objects in matter. In this review, starting from basic theories and computational approaches, we highlight the latest optical trapping configurations and their applications in bioscience, as well as recent advances down to the nanoscale. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of nanomanipulation, which has considerable potential applications in a variety of scientific fields and everyday life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dongliang Gao
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore
- College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Weiqiang Ding
- Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Manuel Nieto-Vesperinas
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Xumin Ding
- Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Mahdy Rahman
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
| | - Tianhang Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
| | - ChweeTeck Lim
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore
| | - Cheng-Wei Qiu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
- SZU-NUS Collaborative Innovation Center for Optoelectronic Science and Technology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Emile O, Emile J. Naked eye picometer resolution in a Michelson interferometer using conjugated twisted beams. OPTICS LETTERS 2017; 42:354-357. [PMID: 28081111 DOI: 10.1364/ol.42.000354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Michelson interferometry is one of the most widely used techniques for accuracy measurements. Its main characteristic feature is to infer a displacement in one of the arms of the interferometer from a phase measurement. Two different twisted beams, also called vortex beams, with opposite twisted rotations in each arm of the interferometer interfere in a daisy flower-like pattern. The number of petals is twice the topological charge. Their position depends on the relative phase of the beams. Naked eye detection of 44 pm displacements is achieved. The sensitivity of such an interferometer together with possible further improvements, and applications are then discussed.
Collapse
|
5
|
Emile O, Emile J. Rotation of millimeter-sized objects using ordinary light. OPTICS LETTERS 2016; 41:211-214. [PMID: 26766676 DOI: 10.1364/ol.41.000211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The ability to optically rotate bodies offers new degrees of control of micro-objects with applications in various domains, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), biomanipulations, or optofluidics. Here we demonstrate the optically-induced rotation of simple asymmetric two-dimensional objects using plane waves originating either from ordinary laser sources or from black body radiation. The objects are floating on an air/water interface. We observe a steady-state rotation depending on the light intensity and on the asymmetry of the object. We interpret this rotation in terms of light diffraction by the edges of the object. Such systems could be easily implemented in optofluidic devices to induce liquid flow without the need for special light sources.
Collapse
|