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Optical gecko toe: optically controlled attractive near-field forces between plasmonic metamaterials and dielectric or metal surfaces

Optical gecko toe: optically controlled attractive near-field forces between plasmonic metamaterials and dielectric or metal surfaces
Optical gecko toe: optically controlled attractive near-field forces between plasmonic metamaterials and dielectric or metal surfaces
On the mesoscopic scale, electromagnetic forces are of fundamental importance to an enormously diverse range of systems, from optical tweezers to the adhesion of gecko toes. Here we show that a strong light-driven force may be generated when a plasmonic metamaterial is illuminated in close proximity to a dielectric or metal surface. This near-field force can exceed radiation pressure and Casimir forces to provide an optically controlled adhesion mechanism mimicking the gecko toe: At illumination intensities of just a few tens of nW/µm2 it is sufficient to overcome the Earth’s gravitational pull.
1550-235X
Zhang, J.
7ce15288-2016-4b9c-8244-7aed073363ca
MacDonald, K.F.
76c84116-aad1-4973-b917-7ca63935dba5
Zheludev, N.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
Zhang, J.
7ce15288-2016-4b9c-8244-7aed073363ca
MacDonald, K.F.
76c84116-aad1-4973-b917-7ca63935dba5
Zheludev, N.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6

Zhang, J., MacDonald, K.F. and Zheludev, N. (2012) Optical gecko toe: optically controlled attractive near-field forces between plasmonic metamaterials and dielectric or metal surfaces. Physical Review B, 85, [205123]. (doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.85.205123).

Record type: Article

Abstract

On the mesoscopic scale, electromagnetic forces are of fundamental importance to an enormously diverse range of systems, from optical tweezers to the adhesion of gecko toes. Here we show that a strong light-driven force may be generated when a plasmonic metamaterial is illuminated in close proximity to a dielectric or metal surface. This near-field force can exceed radiation pressure and Casimir forces to provide an optically controlled adhesion mechanism mimicking the gecko toe: At illumination intensities of just a few tens of nW/µm2 it is sufficient to overcome the Earth’s gravitational pull.

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More information

Published date: 14 May 2012
Organisations: Optoelectronics Research Centre

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 339961
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/339961
ISSN: 1550-235X
PURE UUID: 69bd5460-b86d-42f5-a1df-298867574b0e
ORCID for K.F. MacDonald: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3877-2976
ORCID for N. Zheludev: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1013-6636

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 Jun 2012 12:18
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:03

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Contributors

Author: J. Zhang
Author: K.F. MacDonald ORCID iD
Author: N. Zheludev ORCID iD

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