The fact that photons of light carry momentum and can therefore exert mechanical force is not just an academic curiosity; such forces have already been harnessed for a variety of applications. Here, an extreme optomechanical regime is created using a system of simple photonic structures engineered in such a way that light and mechanical energy are localized in a tiny volume on a silicon chip, so that the mechanical rigidity of the resulting structure is dominated by the optical forces.
- Matt Eichenfield
- Ryan Camacho
- Oskar Painter
