Optical Matter: Crystallization and Binding in Intense Optical Fields

Properly fashioned electromagnetic fields coupled to microscopic dielectric objects can be used to create arrays of extended crystalline and noncrystalline structures. Organization can be achieved in two ways: In the first, dielectric matter is transported in direct response to the externally applie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1990-08, Vol.249 (4970), p.749-754
Main Authors: Burns, Michael M., Fournier, Jean-Marc, Golovchenko, Jene A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atoms
Crystallization
Crystals
Dielectric materials
Electricity
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
Laser beams
Lasers
Light beams
Magnetic fields
Magnetism
Optics
Optics, Physical
Physical optics
Physics
Standing waves
Wave diffraction
Wave optics
Wave propagation in random media
Wavelengths
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Summary:Properly fashioned electromagnetic fields coupled to microscopic dielectric objects can be used to create arrays of extended crystalline and noncrystalline structures. Organization can be achieved in two ways: In the first, dielectric matter is transported in direct response to the externally applied standing wave optical fields. In the second, the external optical fields induce interactions between dielectric objects that can also result in the creation of complex structures. In either case, these new ordered structures, whose existence depends on the presence of both light and polarizable matter, are referred to as optical matter.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.249.4970.749