Unraveling the optomechanical nature of plasmonic trapping

Noninvasive and ultra-accurate optical manipulation of nanometer objects has recently gained interest as a powerful tool in nanotechnology and biophysics. Self-induced back-action (SIBA) trapping in nano-optical cavities has the unique potential for trapping and manipulating nanometer-sized objects under low optical intensities. However, thus far, the existence of the SIBA effect has been shown only indirectly via its enhanced trapping performances. In this article, we present the first time direct experimental evidence of the self-reconfiguration of the optical potential that is experienced by a nanoparticle trapped in a plasmonic nanocavity. Our observations enable us to gain further understanding of the SIBA mechanism and to determine the optimal conditions for boosting the performances of SIBA-based nano-optical tweezers.