Reported By: YAN Mingxing
Translated By: HU Yujia
Edited By: Jennifer Taylor
11 August a young teacher from the Physics Department of the School of Science, Associate Professor DING Weiqiang published a research paper named Linear Momentum Increase and Negative Optical Forces at Dielectric Interface in the prestigious journal Nature Photonics as the joint first author along with Veerachart Kajorndejnukul from the University of Florida. Associate Professor DING completed the paper’s theoretical modeling and numerical simulation.
This paper discusses innovative research conducted on the production mechanism and practical implementation of negative scattering force (or optical pulling force). We know that a group of planar light waves carries the momentum parallel to the propagation direction. Though the momentum is very small, when it is passed to the tiny objects in the light field, the objects will sustain forward pushing forces and be pushed forward. In this paper, Associate Professor DING and his colleagues show that planar light waves can exert a rearward force on the object so that it can pull objects in the light field back towards the light source, achieving “telekinesis”. This was possible because the researchers placed the object at the interface between gas and liquid, so as to provide a momentum photon amplification channel.
This research achieves a whole new method to achieve optical micro-manipulation, and extends the optical micro-manipulation from inside the homogeneous medium to its interface. In the academic community, there is still some controversy in the momentum transfer law between the size of photon’s momentum and movement momentum of objects. This research plays a significant role in further clarifying this issue.
Associate Professor DING gained Bachelor of Science and PhD degrees in the Physics Department of HIT in 2001 and 2006. After graduation he stayed on to teach, and from January 2011 to July 2012 engaged in postdoctoral research in the National University of Singapore. Associate Professor DING has published more than 30 SCI papers on prestigious journals like Physical Review A, Applied Physics Letters, Optics Letters and Optics Express. His main research direction is microstructure photo physics and the mechanical effects of light fields.
Nature Photonics is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Nature Publishing Group. It publishes review articles, research papers, News and Views pieces, and research highlights summarizing the latest scientific findings in optoelectronics. This is complemented by a mix of articles dedicated to the business side of the industry covering areas such as technology commercialization and market analysis.
