Photonic Clusters

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that dielectric microspheres can be arranged into stable and complex cluster configurations, called photonic molecules, using electromagnetic waves, revealing new possibilities for optical binding and dynamic behavior.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of photonic molecules formed by dielectric microspheres organized through electromagnetic scattering, including analysis of stability and dynamics.

Findings

Stable cluster configurations can be achieved with dielectric microspheres.

Photonic molecules exhibit diverse geometries, including quasicrystal-like structures.

Configurations can be stable or quasi-stable with periodic motion.

Abstract

We show through rigorous calculations that dielectric microspheres can be organized by an incident electromagnetic plane wave into stable cluster configurations, which we call photonic molecules. The long-range optical binding force arises from multiple scattering between the spheres. A photonic molecule can exhibit a multiplicity of distinct geometries, including quasicrystal-like configurations, with exotic dynamics. Linear stability analysis and dynamical simulations show that the equilibrium configurations can correspond with either stable or a type of quasi-stable states exhibiting periodic particle motion in the presence of frictional dissipation.