Quantum plasmonics

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Optomechanics

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Optical Fiber Tweezers Lab

Since their introduction in 1986 optical tweezers become a standard tool for non-invasive manipulation in biology, chemistry, and soft-mater physics. Nowadays, optical tweezers are widely used for trapping dielectric micro-particles or biological cells. The paramount interest of optical tweezers was underlined by the attribution of Nobel Prize in 2018 to A. Ashkin, the inventor of optical tweezers.

The first optical fiber tweezers was proposed in 1993 by A. Constable. This complementary approach shows some interesting features such as the very straightforward experimental implementation and the eased realization of counter-propagatig beam tweezers with reduced light intensities. Moreover, the optical fibers emit the trapping beam close to the trapping position. Optical aberrations are, thus, reduced, the illuminated volume is constricted, and trapping can be realized at almost any position in a complex environment such as an biological cell. high flexibility. Finally, the use of nano-structured optical fiber allows us to tailor the emitted optical beams.

At Institut Néel we are developing different optical fiber tweezers in single and dual fiber geometries and using divergent or focused beams. Our tweezers are applied to trap efficiently dielectric particles of different sizes (60 nm to 1 µm) or shapes (spheres and rods). Furthermore, the anisotropy and polarization depended emission of free, only optically trapped, rare earth-doped nanorod is studied.

In collaboration with our French and international colleagues we are currently exploring optical trapping using advanced microstructured fibers. In particular, fibers with 3D printed optical elements are showing exceptional performances to realize single fiber tweezers or trapping beams with optical angular momentum. Concerning the trapped objects, we are extending our ongoing characterization of fluorescent dielectric particles to trapping of gold nanoparticles or biologic species such as E.colie bacteria or living alga.

Please find more information on http://perso.neel.cnrs.fr/jochen.fick/

Quantum and relativistic Analogs

A. Drezet and C. Poulain develop classical models that try to reproduce some features of  the quantum realm. By combining  adequately locked and fine tuned classical oscillators i.e., acoustic waves in vibrating mechanical media they create mechanical analogues that reproduce, at macro scale, effects believed to be  exclusive to the quantum realm (e.g the wave-particle duality, the Unruh and the Casimir effect).

Their work is largely inspired by the foundations pioneered  by   de Broglie, Bohm, and Einstein, it also recalls  the recent experiments of the bouncing droplets discovered by Y. Couder and E. Fort in the 2000s  which  serve as a great source of inspiration and comparison.

In particular, they consider different classical analogues based on fluid mechanics or acoustic waves . Their models relies  on either  a gas bubble acoustically excited and (in 1D) on a little bead freely sliding along a vibrating string. In all these systems, the particle acts as a defect of the propagating medium interacting with the incoming wave (in 1D, 2D or 3D), producing as scattered wave  from which a radiation force emerges.

The complex non-linear dynamics at play in the interaction between a wave and a particle is reminiscent of the radiation force phenomenon, which could play a crucial role in the wave-particle nature. Consequently, this very fundamental subject of research is also very close to other issues studied in the group such as optical trapping  on nanoparticles or  nano resonators in optical cavity.

Goals

Our research activities are based on the electromagnetic and mechanical properties of matter where at least one spatial dimension is reduced to a few tense nanometers and therefore rely on near-fields. This includes the study of plasmonics, with chiral/nonlinear/quantum responses, opto-mechanics from optical tweezers to macroscopic (quantum) oscillators which are coupled to light and/or spins of NV centers, nanomagnets and skyrmions. These are examples of systems that we investigate in the team by combining experiments, simulations and theoretical approaches at the forefront of the international research.

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