Photothermal Microscopy and
Spectroscopy Webinar

Around the 1970s, Ashkin paved the way for using laser beams for optical manipulation. In the 1980s, optical tweezers were realized, facilitating the optical manipulation of various objects, from atoms to biological cells. Developments in the engineering of photothermal effects have added further impetus to optical tweezers. In this webinar, I will discuss some of our work on emergent dynamics of light-absorbing colloids under structured optical confinement. I will emphasize directional rotation and draw parallels to the collective dynamics of some active-passive systems.