Optical hoovering on plasmonic rinks
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Optical hoovering on plasmonic rinks John Canning, interdisciplinary Photonics Laboratories, School of Electrical and Data Engineering, Tech Lab, University of Technology (UTS), Sydney, NSW 2007 & 2019, Australia; School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia Address all correspondence to John Canning at [email protected] (Received 17 May 2019; accepted 3 July 2019)
Abstract Excitation of surface waves on conducting materials provides a near resistance-free interface capable of a material glissade either by plasmon forces or by optical beam tractors. Analogous to an ice hockey rink, as proof-of-principle plasmon-assisted optical traction, or hoovering, of water drops on a gold surface is demonstrated. Changes in the contact angle provide a novel, low-cost nanoscale method of quantifying observable and potentially tunable changes. Variability in thresholds and movement, including jumps, is observed and can be explained by the presence of significant roughness, measured by scanning electron microscopy, with water tension. The demonstration opens a path to directly integrate various optical and plasmonic traction technologies. Implications of the phenomena and ways of improving transport and potential applications spanning configurable microfluidics, antennas, tunable lenses, diagnostics, sensing, and active Kerr and other devices are discussed.
Introduction Conducting surfaces with minimal binding energy along the interface, such that energy is coupled between each other, can behave analogously to that of a tightly bound “ocean” plasma. This is constrained to an x, y plane in which appropriate energy impartation, coupled between electrons, can create equivalent mechanical dynamics associated with localized surface waves shaped in part by the ocean landscape and a host of related phenomena. The generation of these surface wave resonances using phase-matched optical coupling is achieved by a number of means including through prisms,[1–3] end coupling using various optical wave-guiding configurations and higherorder modes or skew rays,[4–6] and diffractive grating configurations.[7–9] The optical generation of surface waves, which are sensitive to their environment, has proved to be particularly useful for diagnostic applications.[10,11] Yet the potential for utilizing such excitation pathways can go well beyond exciting sensitive interactions. Here, the optical driven displacement of mass along such a surface, using known processes, is proposed and demonstrated.
Optically assisted forces on a surface On homogenous interfaces where, for example, resistive flow can be negated, physical displacement of an object on a surface should be possible. By exploiting a bound body of electrons capable of freely transferring kinetic energy in the direction of flow a resistance-free surface may be generated and, with optical assistance, plasmon-enabled movement of mass was demonstrated. Matter interacting with this interfacial sea should be capable of experiencing physical displacement, ei
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