Arthur Ashkin’s Nobel Prize-winning optical tweezers transformed biological research by enabling light-based manipulation of microscopic objects. Building on this foundation, we develop user-friendly optical manipulation techniques that control movements, interactions, and compositions across scales beyond traditional tweezers. By integrating light-induced thermal, chemical, electrical, and acoustic effects, our methods enhance versatility, broaden material compatibility, and reduce power needs. These innovations advance multifunctional measurement, manufacturing, active matter, and microrobotics, with wide-ranging applications in life sciences, quantum technologies, healthcare, energy, and sustainability.
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We harness dual-faceted optical manipulation—manipulation by light and of light—to advance spectroscopy and microscopy with exceptional sensitivity, resolution, and speed. Our optical microscopy platform, incorporating optical rotation and machine learning, enables volumetric imaging and accurate organism classification. We develop adhesion frequency assays to characterize dynamic cell-cell interactions and advance chiroptical spectroscopy for label-free, ultrasensitive enantiodiscrimination. These innovations redefine optical measurement capabilities, driving progress in life sciences, pharmaceutical quality control, space exploration, and disease diagnostics.
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Arranged into nano-architected materials such as metamaterials, discrete nanostructures unlock novel optical phenomena, transforming how light is manipulated and utilized. We design these materials for diverse applications, including optical sensing, photochemistry, solar energy harvesting, radiative cooling, optical computing, and quantum communication. Drawing inspiration from nature and leveraging artificial intelligence, we tailor nano-architectures to meet specific functional needs. Our advanced optical techniques enable sustainable, on-demand fabrication and precise property measurements at both single-structure and ensemble levels.
