Tunable optical traps over nonreciprocal surfaces

Abstract

We propose engineering optical traps over plasmonic surfaces and precisely controlling the trap position with an external bias by inducing in-plane nonreciprocity on the surface. The platform employs an incident Gaussian beam to polarize targeted nanoparticles, and exploits the interplay between nonreciprocal and spin-orbit lateral recoil forces to construct stable optical traps and manipulate their position within the surface. To model this process, we develop a theoretical framework based on the Lorentz force combined with nonreciprocal Green’s functions and apply it to calculate the trapping potential. Rooted on this formalism, we explore the exciting possibilities offered by graphene to engineer stable optical traps using low-power laser beams in the mid-IR and to manipulate the trap position in a continuous manner by applying a longitudinal drift bias. Nonreciprocal metasurfaces may open new possibilities to trap, assemble and manipulate nanoparticles and overcome many challenges faced by conventional optical tweezers while dealing with nanoscale objects.