Optical tweezers, a Nobel Prize-winning invention by Arthur Ashkin, have revolutionized the manipulation and study of biological systems. Building upon this foundational technology, we have developed a suite of advanced optical manipulation techniques that overcome the limitations of traditional methods. Our innovations offer enhanced operational modes, greater versatility across diverse environments, and the ability to manipulate a wider range of materials with lower optical power and a simpler, user-friendly setup. These advancements drive breakthroughs in measurement, manufacturing, active matter, and micro/nanorobotic systems, with applications spanning life sciences, quantum science, health, information technology, energy, and environmental sustainability.
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Research
We leverage dual-faceted optical manipulation - manipulation by light and manipulation of light - in spectroscopy and microscopy to reveal biological structures and functions with high sensitivity, resolution, and speed. Standard optical microscopy, enhanced with optical rotation and machine learning, enables volumetric imaging and accurate classification of organisms. An adhesion frequency assay utilizing optical manipulation offers comprehensive profiling of cell-cell interactions. Chiroptical spectroscopy, combined with optical manipulation, allows for label-free ultrasensitive enantiodiscrimination of chiral molecules. These advancements push the boundaries of optical measurement, opening new avenues for life sciences, space life detection, pharmaceutical quality control, and disease diagnosis.
When discrete nanostructures are arranged into nano-architected materials such as metamaterials, they exhibit a plethora of novel optical phenomena, enabling unprecedented manipulation and utilization of light. We focus on creating these nano-architected materials to improve optical sensing, photochemical reactions, solar energy conversion, passive radiative cooling, optical computing, and quantum communication. Drawing inspiration from nature and employing machine learning techniques, we design nano-architected materials precisely customized for targeted applications. We develop advanced optical techniques to enable green manufacturing of these nano-architectures on demand and to measure their properties at both the single-nanostructure and ensemble levels.