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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles
Published on: October 16, 2017
Cavity optomechanics of levitated nanodumbbells: nonequilibrium phases and self-assembly
W Lechner1, S J M Habraken1, N Kiesel2
1Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria and Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Abstract:
Levitated nanospheres in optical cavities open a novel route to study many-body systems out of solution and highly isolated from the environment. We show that properly tuned optical parameters allow for the study of the nonequilibrium dynamics of composite nanoparticles with nonisotropic optical friction. We find optically induced ordering and nematic transitions with nonequilibrium analogs to liquid crystal phases for ensembles of dimers.

