NER: Studies of subwavelength photonic force actuators

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

CBET-0708590 Dragnea This proposal describes an integrated theoretical/experimental research plan for the prediction and characterization of the electromagnetic (trapping) force exerted on nanoparticles in the vicinity of subwavelength apertures in optically illuminated metal films. The investigators will use FTDT simulations to guide the experimental work. They intend to study particle trapping in well-defined (low pressure inert gas) environments, and then generalize to trapping in the presence of fluidic/interfacial forces to understand the scale at which interfacial forces exceed optical forces. This will potentially enable the design of novel nanostructures for the controlled optical manipulation of nanoparticles for applications such as particle sorting in microfluidic devices.