Near-field optical trapping has transformed particle manipulation in biology, chemistry, and nanotechnology, enabling contact-free control of objects ranging from nanoparticles to living cells.

Physicists in China have demonstrated that a structure called an optical metasurface can individually trap up to 78,400 neutral atoms – a promising development in efforts to build a large-scale ...

Optical trapping is a powerful tool for manipulating microscopic particles, but conventional approaches often suffer from limited trapping range and ...

Researchers from the Department of Molecular Physics at the Fritz Haber Institute have demonstrated the first magneto-optical trap of a stable "closed-shell" molecule: aluminum monofluoride (AlF).

A research group led by Prof. Yao Baoli and Dr. Xu Xiaohao from Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics (XIOPM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have revealed a full-gray optical trap in ...

Optical lattice clocks are emerging timekeeping devices based on tens of thousands of ultracold atoms trapped in an optical lattice (i.e., a grid of laser light). By oscillating between two distinct ...

Researchers showed that biofilm formation can be controlled with laser light in the form of optical traps. The findings could allow scientists to harness biofilms for various bioengineering ...

A new type of optical particle trap can be used to manipulate bacteria, viruses and other particles on a chip as part of an integrated optofluidic platform. The optical trap is the latest innovation ...

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed optical micro-resonators that trap and amplify light with ...

A project at MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) has developed a new design of optical tweezers that could help the manipulation technology be utilized in new areas of research. The principle ...