Optical Matter and Optical Matter Machines
A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "A：Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 1355
Special Issue Editors
Interests: nano-optics; plasmonics and photonics; optical manipulation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Optical matter machines have recently been discovered showing the ability to self-organize into structures in focused optical beams (laser tweezers) that can do work on objects in their surroundings. The original OM machine reported in 2020 was based on plasmonic metal nanoparticles that can self-organize and do mechanical work on the nanoscale as powered by light. This intriguing phenomenon arises from light-matter and inter-particle interactions, by which free-diffusing nanoparticles are optically bound and self-organized into a two-dimensional lattice array and simultaneously manifest mechanical movements as a rigid body in response to the collective electromagnetic scattering modes. Beyond that, optical matter machines can be utilized to drive nearby weakly-coupled (nano-)particles electrodynamically with transverse scattering fields that carry orbital angular momentum. These unique functionalities reflect the great potential of optical matter machines as miniaturized light-energized motors, enhanced optical nano-manipulation, creating light-controlled transportation systems, studying light-mediated many-body effects, prototyping advanced metasurfaces, and facilitating particle sorting.
As implied above, the collective electromagnetic response, the source of optical matter machines' driven motions, fundamentally relies on the constituent particles' optical properties. While the underlying mechanism has been studied for plasmonic nanoparticles-based (e.g., Ag and Au) optical matters in terms of optical torque (positive or negative), it has yet to be generalized to account for OM systems composed of other types of particles, such as magnetodielectric and bi-isotropic nanoparticles. Additionally, the relevant applications are still sparse to date.
Therefore, this special issue welcomes both theoretical and experimental works on Optical Matter and OM Machines and their corresponding applications, aiming at establishing comprehensive electrodynamic models to interpret the dynamic characteristics associated with the physical parameters, including constituent materials’ properties (i.e., electric and magnetic as well as cross-coupling modes), lattice morphologies (i.e., spacing constant and particles’ numbers and arrangements), and light’s states (i.e., intensity, phase, and polarization).
Dr. Yanzeng Li
Prof. Dr. Norbert F. Scherer
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- optical matter
- optical trapping
- optical matter machines
- optical binding
- optical manipulation
- many-body effects
- light-matter interaction
