The research team at TMOS, within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, has developed an innovative solenoide beam that uses a silicone metasurface to attract particles.
This technology could revolutionize non-invasive medical procedures, such as biopsies, offering a lightweight and portable alternative to the cumbersome devices previously required. The solenoide beam, described in a study published in ACS Photonics by the University of Melbourne, is generated by a silicon metasurface, only about 0.5 microns thick.
Unlike previous systems that required special light modulators (SLM) and were heavy, this new technology eliminates the need for such devices, making the beam usable even in portable devices. Traditional light beams tend to exert a pushing force, moving particles away from the light source.
However, solenoide beams, like the one developed by the TMOS team, are capable of attracting particles towards the light source, similarly to how a drill pulls wood chips along the tip during drilling. The main advantage of this new type of solenoide beam lies in its flexibility in the conditions of beam entry and the absence of a need for an SLM.
Moreover, its reduced size, lesser weight, and significantly lower energy requirements greatly improve usability compared to previous systems. The metasurface was created by mapping the phase hologram of the desired beam, which was then used to create a pattern.
This pattern was subsequently manufactured in silicone through electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching.
When a Gaussian beam passes through the metasurface, about 76% of it is converted into a solenoide beam, deviating from the unconverted beam and thus allowing researchers to manipulate it unimpeded. Maryam Setareh, the lead researcher, highlighted how the compact size and high efficiency of this device could pave the way for new innovative applications in the future, particularly in particle manipulation, which could reduce pain through less invasive methods. Ken Crozier, principal investigator, emphasized that the next phase of the research will be to experimentally demonstrate the beam’s ability to attract particles, eagerly anticipating sharing future results.
He also stated that this work opens up new possibilities for using light to exert forces on small objects.
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