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Optically addressable universal holonomic quantum gates on diamond spins
Microwave-driven holonomic quantum gates on an optically selected electron spin in a nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond are demonstrated. Optically addressable entanglement is generated between the electron and adjacent nitrogen nuclear spin.
- Yuhei Sekiguchi
- , Kazuki Matsushita
- & Hideo Kosaka
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Article |
Controlled transfer of transverse orbital angular momentum to optically trapped birefringent microparticles
The angular momentum of light is shown to be able to impart light-induced transverse torque and rotation to microscale birefingent particles.
- Alexander B. Stilgoe
- , Timo A. Nieminen
- & Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
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Article |
Ultrafast viscosity measurement with ballistic optical tweezers
A structured-light-based detection of a particle trapped in optical tweezers enables ultrafast velocity and viscosity determination.
- Lars S. Madsen
- , Muhammad Waleed
- & Warwick P. Bowen
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Obituary |
In memory of Arthur Ashkin
Radiation pressure exerted by light was a lifelong passion for Arthur Ashkin. He foresaw that light pressure could do useful work and invented the optical tweezers that can trap microscopic objects, from small ‘living things’ down to individual atoms.
- René-Jean Essiambre
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News & Views |
Longitudinal fields and transverse rotations
Electromagnetic fields in light waves are mainly transverse to propagation direction but actually also have longitudinal components, which may give rise to unexpected optical phenomena involving the angular momentum of light, such as transverse spin and optical torques.
- Filippo Cardano
- & Lorenzo Marrucci
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Letter |
Sensitive vectorial optomechanical footprint of light in soft condensed matter
Researchers demonstrate vectorial optomechanical effects using a nematic liquid crystal and report creation of multiple self-induced lenses from a single beam.
- Mohamed El Ketara
- , Hirokazu Kobayashi
- & Etienne Brasselet
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Letter |
Photoelectronic mapping of the spin–orbit interaction of intense light fields
Sculpting and focusing femtosecond cylindrical vector vortex pulses by a slit allows the controllable transformation of the photon’s orbital angular momentum into spin angular momentum, which can be characterized in situ by a strong-field ionization experiment.
- Yiqi Fang
- , Meng Han
- & Yunquan Liu
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Letter |
Optimal wave fields for micromanipulation in complex scattering environments
By designing wavefronts in the far field that have optimal properties in the near field, a general framework for optimal micromanipulation with targets of arbitrary shape and in arbitrarily complex environments, such as disordered media, is reported.
- Michael Horodynski
- , Matthias Kühmayer
- & Stefan Rotter
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News & Views |
Where two quantum fluids meet
Josephson vortices are observed at the boundary between two exciton-polariton condensates, with lasers used to create the required local phase twist. The finding opens new opportunities for exploring fundamental physics and engineering novel quantum devices.
- Taehyun Yoon
- & Na Young Kim
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Letter |
An optical tweezer phonon laser
A phonon laser based on an optically levitated silica nanosphere is demonstrated. A lasing threshold—a phase transition from Brownian motion to coherent oscillation—is observed when the modulation depth of the trapping beam power is increased.
- Robert M. Pettit
- , Wenchao Ge
- & A. Nick Vamivakas
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News & Views |
Optical hooks
A type of near-field curved light field generated right at the output of a dielectric cuboid is experimentally observed. It is expected to have interesting applications in imaging and manipulation.
- Kishan Dholakia
- & Graham D. Bruce
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News & Views |
A light ride to the stars
By tailoring the anisotropy of light scattering along the surface of a macroscopic flat object, mechanical stabilization can be achieved without focused incident light or excessive constraints on the shape, size or material composition of the object.
- Romain Quidant
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Article |
Self-stabilizing photonic levitation and propulsion of nanostructured macroscopic objects
Mechanical stability of macroscopic structures on the millimetre-, centimetre- and even metre-scale could be realized by tailoring the anisotropy of light scattering along the object’s surface, without needing to focus incident light or excessively constrain the shape, size or material composition of the object.
- Ognjen Ilic
- & Harry A. Atwater
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Editorial |
A long overdue recognition
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Article |
Response shaping with a silicon ring resonator via double injection
Frequency response shaping of a ‘racetrack’ ring resonator is demonstrated using a double injection configuration. Sinusoidal, triangular, square and other response shapes are shown.
- Roei Aviram Cohen
- , Ofer Amrani
- & Shlomo Ruschin
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Perspective |
Prospects and physical mechanisms for photonic space propulsion
Recent achievements and future opportunities for light as a propulsion scheme for space vehicles is discussed.
- Igor Levchenko
- , Kateryna Bazaka
- & Shuyan Xu
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News & Views |
Spin control of macroscopic objects
Spin-dependent lateral optical forces, 100,000 times larger than those reported so far, can lead to displacements of centimetre-sized objects observable by the naked eye.
- Jorge Olmos-Trigo
- & Juan José Sáenz
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News & Views |
Thermoelectric fields hold nanoparticles
Optical trapping of metal nanoparticles with conventional ‘tweezers’ can be challenging due to absorption and heating. Now, an opto-thermoelectric trapping approach that exploits heating has been demonstrated.
- Frank Cichos
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Article |
Opto-thermoelectric nanotweezers
Heating due to optical losses in metal nanoparticles, which is usually an unwanted side effect, is harnessed to realize low-power opto-thermoelectric nanotweezers.
- Linhan Lin
- , Mingsong Wang
- & Yuebing Zheng
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Article |
Three-dimensional holographic optical manipulation through a high-numerical-aperture soft-glass multimode fibre
Through a high-numerical-aperture multimode fibre, real-time manipulation of three-dimensional arrangements of micro-objects and manipulation inside inaccessible cavities are shown. The approach is useful for imaging deep inside living tissues and complex environments.
- Ivo T. Leite
- , Sergey Turtaev
- & Tomáš Čižmár
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News & Views |
Ions captured in the spotlight
Optical trapping of ions is relatively new and has been limited to a few milliseconds so far. Now researchers have trapped a single barium ion for several seconds, putting experiments with ultracold atoms and ions within reach.
- Dietrich Leibfried
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News & Views |
Levitating the fridge
Simultaneous trapping, alignment and anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling of Yb3+:YLF nanocrystals from room temperature to temperatures as low as about 130 K can now be realized using a single-beam optical dipole trap within a low-pressure environment.
- Andrew Geraci
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Letter |
Laser refrigeration, alignment and rotation of levitated Yb3+:YLF nanocrystals
A nanocryostat is realized through the refrigeration of levitated Yb3+:YLF nanocrystals to 130 K using anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling, while the laser polarization allows orientation control of the trapped nanocrystal and maximizes its cooling.
- A. T. M. Anishur Rahman
- & P. F. Barker
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Letter |
Nanofibre optic force transducers with sub-piconewton resolution via near-field plasmon–dielectric interactions
A nanofibre optic force transducer with 0.2 pN sensitivity is demonstrated. The set-up is used to monitor bacterial motion, observe heart cell beating and detect infrasound power in solution.
- Qian Huang
- , Joon Lee
- & Donald J. Sirbuly
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Letter |
Real-space coherent manipulation of electrons in a single tunnel junction by single-cycle terahertz electric fields
Carrier-envelope-phase-controlled single-cycle terahertz pulses can induce coherent electron tunnelling either from a Pt/Ir nanotip to a graphite sample or vice versa. The pulses enable ultrafast nonlinear manipulation of electrons at the atomic scale.
- Katsumasa Yoshioka
- , Ikufumi Katayama
- & Jun Takeda
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Letter |
Echo-enabled harmonics up to the 75th order from precisely tailored electron beams
Echo-enabled harmonic generation has been used to seed a free-electron laser and has been demonstrated up to the 75th harmonic, producing 32 nm light from a 2,400 nm laser.
- E. Hemsing
- , M. Dunning
- & D. Xiang
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News & Views |
Ultrashort interactions
At the 63rd Spring Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics, scientists described how femtosecond laser pulses can be used to perform tasks such as quantum beat spectroscopy, control of magnetization, cell sorting and crystal growth.
- Noriaki Horiuchi
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News & Views |
Momentum in metamaterials
Optical forces are increasingly relevant in nanoscale optical science and engineering, but optical momentum in materials is still not fully understood. It is now shown that microstructure details as well as macroscopic optical parameters are important in determining optical momentum.
- Brandon A. Kemp
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Correspondence |
Reply to 'Do thermal effects cause the propulsion of bulk graphene material?'
- Tengfei Zhang
- , Huicong Chang
- & Jian-Guo Tian
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Correspondence |
Do thermal effects cause the propulsion of bulk graphene material?
- Lei Wu
- , Yonghao Zhang
- & Jason M. Reese
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Correspondence |
Reply to 'Mechanism for microtsunami-induced intercellular mechanosignalling'
- Justin C. Luo
- , Elliot L. Botvinick
- & Vasan Venugopalan
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Correspondence |
Mechanism for microtsunami-induced intercellular mechanosignalling
- Hao He
- , Keiichi Nakagawa
- & Keisuke Goda
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Letter |
Enhanced optical trapping via structured scattering
Structured light is used to created optical traps with stiffness an order of magnitude higher than conventional Gaussian traps in one-dimension.
- Michael A. Taylor
- , Muhammad Waleed
- & Warwick P. Bowen
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Article |
Macroscopic and direct light propulsion of bulk graphene material
The observation of macroscopic and direct light propulsion of bulk-graphene-based material offers an exciting opportunity for realizing long-sought proposals in areas such as space transportation driven directly by sunlight.
- Tengfei Zhang
- , Huicong Chang
- & Yongsheng Chen
Ultrafast energy exchange between two single Rydberg atoms on a nanosecond timescale
Laser nanoprinting
Metasurface with pull
Light sprinkler
Photoactuated printing
Reconfigurable ratchet
Light-driven delivery
Momentum debate