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Exploring Light-Soft Matter Interactions 

 

We are broadly interested in research questions related to optical, photonic, and optothermal forces and torques. We explore the connection between light-assisted forces and torques with light scattering, nanophotonics, Brownian motion and pattern formation. We apply this knowledge to study the dynamics and photonics of soft matter.

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Specifically,  our study addresses questions such as :​

  • How to realize, probe and image soft photonic systems using optical forces? 

    •  role of Optical forces and Torques + thermodynamics, optical momentum  spin and orbital aspects

    • what is the influence of optical degrees of freedom on Brownian dynamics and pattern formation ?

    • how do optical/optothermal forces interact with soft, active and biological matter : colloids, liquid crystals, droplets, bubbles, granular matter, cells etc.  ?

    • what are the technological and biological implications of optical/optothermal force-soft matter interaction ?

Current Projects (inter-related):

  • Brownian Dynamics + structured optical forces

Hot Brownian Colloids - evolutionary optical assembly & emergence
Brownian dynamics – thermo-plasmonic landscape and optical vortices
Fluctuations in light scattering – single molecule among colloids

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  • Pattern Formation and dynamics in optically-driven soft-systems

plasmon-driven systems - plasmonic colloids

 

  • Optical methods to drive, probe and image soft- and biological-systems

Structured Optical forces and Torques  - optical tweezers
Plasmonics – propagating and localized plasmons
Statistical Optics 

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Publications:

Our publications can be found on following pages:

Facilities:

  • Fourier-plane optical microscopy and spectroscopy in an optical trap (home-built) : based on upright and inverted microscope coupled to dual channel spectrometer, coupled with lasers at 1064nm, 633nm and 532nm wavelength

  • Optical Energy-Momentum Spectroscopy and Microscopy integrated with an optical tweezer (home-built)

  • Two-channel femtosecond light scattering microscope (home-built):Based on Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser, to study nonlinear light scattering in an optical trap

  • Optical tweezer based multi-wavelength confocal spectroscopic imaging microscope (home-built): based on high resolution spectrometry 

  • Computer workstation for photonics and plasmonics simulation FEM methods for plasmonics and photonics; Fourier optics 

  • Nano-fabrication and nano-synthesis facility

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