Seven-particle optical matter gear (VIDEO)
Caption
This video shows a simulation of a seven-particle optical matter gear. The spinning and orbiting motion of field (blue) scattered from the nanoparticles (yellow) when circularly polarized light is incident on the nanoparticles can be seen. The rotation of the scattered light (blue) creates the counterclockwise movement of a nanoparticle probe that would enter the optical trap near the gear. The probe particle (not shown here) then orbits as it is relatedly nudged along by the sweep of the motion of the scattered light (blue). The collective rotation of the entire gear is not evident because it occurs on much longer timescales than the femtoseconds timescale motion of the light that is shown here.
Credit
Norbert F. Scherer, University of Chicago
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