Enhancement of optical forces at bound state in the continuum

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that bound states in the continuum (BIC) can significantly enhance and tune optical forces and torques, with potential applications in optical manipulation and BIC-assisted devices.

Contribution

It introduces the use of BIC modes to generate tunable, enhanced optical forces and torques, and explores their practical application in a BIC-assisted metavehicle.

Findings

Sharp lineshape observed in force and torque spectra near high-Q BIC resonances

Wavelength and polarization tuning effectively control optical forces

Finite-size simulations suggest practical BIC applications in metavehicles

Abstract

Light-actuated motors, vehicles, and even space sails have drawn tremendous attention for basic science and applications in space, biomedical, and sensing domains. Optical bound states in the continuum (BIC) are topological singularities of the scattering matrix, known for their unique light trapping capability and enhanced light-matter interaction. We show that BIC modes enable the generation of enhanced and tunable optical forces and torques. A sharp and controllable lineshape is observed in forces and torques spectra when approaching high-Q resonance BIC modes. Wavelength and polarization tunability are presented as an effective method to control the forces on BIC enclosed structures. Finally Finite-size simulations are performed to evaluate the practical application for a BIC assisted metavehicle.