Trapping matter with light and manipulating it at the same time might appear like a nerve-wrecking science-fiction scene from a Hollywood movie. However, so-called optical tweezers that allow for exerting forces onto particles and materials using only electromagnetic fields or light beams are real! Introduced by Sir Arthur Ashkin many decades ago and awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018, optical tweezers are an established tool and exciting scientific playground in many areas of research, ranging form physics all the way to biology and medicine.
In a joint open access roadmap article, experts from the field now describe current developments and future challenges of the intriguing field of optical trapping and manipulation. The Roadmap for Optical Tweezers 2023 features a wonderful collection of in-depth contributions composed by a selection of authors and contributors, including Jörg S. Eismann, Paul Beck and Peter Banzer from the University of Graz and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light. This roadmap article is well-suited for beginners and experts alike.
Link to article: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2515-7647/acb57b
Contact: Peter Banzer; peter.banzer(at)uni-graz.at
Group webpage: https://physik.uni-graz.at/en/optics-of-nano-and-quantum-materials/