Researchers Trap Particles in Light’s Darkest Spots

Silicon nanoparticles are now stably trapped within the intensity minima of an optical standing wave, unlike silica particles which cannot be held in this way. The technique utilises resonant meta-atoms, particles exhibiting strong Mie resonances, to manipulate microscopic objects using light. These resonances occur when particle size is approximately a few hundred nanometers, enabling stronger and more tunable optical forces than previously possible. Bin Lu and colleagues have achieved stable three-dimensional trapping of silicon nanoparticles within areas of low light intensity using an optical standing wave; conventional…