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Ultra-long-range optical pulling with an optical nanofibre

Author

Listed:
  • Jianbin Zhang

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Keying Liu

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Pan Wang

    (Zhejiang University
    Jiaxing Research Institute Zhejiang University
    Shanxi University)

  • Limin Tong

    (Zhejiang University
    Jiaxing Research Institute Zhejiang University
    Shanxi University)

  • Xin Guo

    (Zhejiang University
    Jiaxing Research Institute Zhejiang University)

Abstract

As a counterintuitive phenomenon, optical pulling of an object has been attracting increasing attention in recent years, owing to its intriguing underlying physics of light momentum transfer and potential for multi-directional manipulation. Due to the difficulty in engineering wave vectors for long-range optical pulling with a single beam, to date, the pulling range of an object is experimentally limited to hundreds of micrometres. Here, we demonstrate ultra-long-range optical pulling of a micro-droplet with an optical nanofibre based on the Minkowski-photon-momentum engineering. We show that, when a 1552-nm-wavelength light is launched into and guided along a silica nanofibre with a diameter below ~1/3 of the vacuum wavelength, it can pull back a micro-droplet (tens of micrometres in diameter) over a distance up to 40 cm. Also, we have succeeded in vertically pulling up a micro-droplet against its own gravity (~1 nN). These results pave the way for ultra-long-range optical pulling, with promising applications in nanophotonics, optomechanics, biophotonics and optofluidics.

Suggested Citation

  • Jianbin Zhang & Keying Liu & Pan Wang & Limin Tong & Xin Guo, 2025. "Ultra-long-range optical pulling with an optical nanofibre," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-62536-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62536-w
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