Science > Physics > Scientists bring light to sharpest focus -- 0.06 square microns
| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"Sam Wormley" |
| Date: |
01 Dec 2003 04:13:22 PM |
| Object: |
Scientists bring light to sharpest focus -- 0.06 square microns |
Ref: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
Three researchers in Germany claim to
have focused light down to the smallest
spot size ever. Using a radially polarized
beam from a helium-neon laser, the trio
from the Univeristy of Erlangen-Nürnberg,
produced a spot with an area of just 0.06
square microns. This is almost half the size
of the previous record (Physical Review
Letters to be published)
See: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
.
|
|
| User: "Andrew Resnick" |
|
| Title: Re: Scientists bring light to sharpest focus -- 0.06 square microns |
02 Dec 2003 07:25:57 AM |
|
|
In <3FCBBD01.20D2E8FC@mchsi.com> Sam Wormley wrote:
Ref: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
Three researchers in Germany claim to
have focused light down to the smallest
spot size ever. Using a radially polarized
beam from a helium-neon laser, the trio
from the Univeristy of Erlangen-Nürnberg,
produced a spot with an area of just 0.06
square microns. This is almost half the size
of the previous record (Physical Review
Letters to be published)
I'm interested as to how they measured this: a spot 0.06 microns in area
is a circle of radius 0.14 microns. Assuming that's FWHM, they would
need to spatially resolve the spot down to about 0.03 microns sampling
interval, I think....
And note that it's an optical vortex!
--
Andrew Resnick, Ph. D.
National Center for Microgravity Research
NASA Glenn Research Center
.
|
|
|
| User: "Timo Nieminen" |
|
| Title: Re: Scientists bring light to sharpest focus -- 0.06 square microns |
03 Dec 2003 02:44:59 AM |
|
|
On Tue, 2 Dec 2003, Andrew Resnick wrote:
In <3FCBBD01.20D2E8FC@mchsi.com> Sam Wormley wrote:
Ref: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
=20
Three researchers in Germany claim to
have focused light down to the smallest
spot size ever. Using a radially polarized
beam from a helium-neon laser, the trio
from the Univeristy of Erlangen-N=FCrnberg,
produced a spot with an area of just 0.06
square microns. This is almost half the size
of the previous record (Physical Review
Letters to be published)
=20
I'm interested as to how they measured this: a spot 0.06 microns in area=
=20
is a circle of radius 0.14 microns. Assuming that's FWHM, they would=20
need to spatially resolve the spot down to about 0.03 microns sampling=20
interval, I think....
=20
And note that it's an optical vortex!=20
That I didn't notice. I don't see where they'd get one from, either,=20
assuming that by optical vortex, you mean something with the Poynting=20
vector having an azimuthal component ie a beam carrying orbital AM. If you=
=20
mean a beam shape with a persistent hole in the middle, yes.
True, they have a polarisation singularity, but it looks like the extra=20
component of the Poynting vector due to focussing is radial.
The theory has been around for a while (eg Sun, Opt Lett 28, 99 (2003),=20
and I think I've seen it elsewhere, too), but I hadn't seen anybody=20
actually doing it.
--=20
Timo Nieminen - Home page: http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/people/nieminen/
Shrine to Spirits: http://www.users.bigpond.com/timo_nieminen/spirits.html
.
|
|
|
|
|
| User: "The Ghost In The Machine" |
|
| Title: Re: Scientists bring light to sharpest focus -- 0.06 square microns |
03 Dec 2003 02:09:46 PM |
|
|
In sci.physics, Sam Wormley
<swormley1@mchsi.com>
wrote
on Mon, 01 Dec 2003 22:13:22 GMT
<3FCBBD01.20D2E8FC@mchsi.com>:
Ref: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
Three researchers in Germany claim to
have focused light down to the smallest
spot size ever. Using a radially polarized
beam from a helium-neon laser, the trio
from the Univeristy of Erlangen-Nürnberg,
produced a spot with an area of just 0.06
square microns. This is almost half the size
of the previous record (Physical Review
Letters to be published)
See: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
0.06 square microns = a radius of 0.00014 m or 140 microns.
Since a He-Ne is probably on the order of 600-650 nm this
isn't exactly an Airy circle, although I'm now wondering
as to why they can't focus it any lower. The result
is about 210 photons in radius or 420 photons wide.
--
#191,
It's still legal to go .sigless.
.
|
|
|
| User: "Mark Folsom" |
|
| Title: Re: Scientists bring light to sharpest focus -- 0.06 square microns |
03 Dec 2003 10:29:11 PM |
|
|
"The Ghost In The Machine" <ewill@sirius.athghost7038suus.net> wrote in
message news:iqa1a1-ri4.ln1@lexi2.athghost7038suus.net...
In sci.physics, Sam Wormley
<swormley1@mchsi.com>
wrote
on Mon, 01 Dec 2003 22:13:22 GMT
<3FCBBD01.20D2E8FC@mchsi.com>:
Ref: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
Three researchers in Germany claim to
have focused light down to the smallest
spot size ever. Using a radially polarized
beam from a helium-neon laser, the trio
from the Univeristy of Erlangen-Nürnberg,
produced a spot with an area of just 0.06
square microns. This is almost half the size
of the previous record (Physical Review
Letters to be published)
See: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
0.06 square microns = a radius of 0.00014 m or 140 microns.
Since a He-Ne is probably on the order of 600-650 nm this
isn't exactly an Airy circle, although I'm now wondering
as to why they can't focus it any lower. The result
is about 210 photons in radius or 420 photons wide.
..06 square microns = a radius of 0.138 microns--on the order of the
wavelength of some pretty extreme UV. I thought you were smarter than that.
Mark Folsom
.
|
|
|
| User: "The Ghost In The Machine" |
|
| Title: Re: Scientists bring light to sharpest focus -- 0.06 square microns |
04 Dec 2003 03:00:07 AM |
|
|
In sci.physics, Mark Folsom
<folsom_snip_man@redshift.com>
wrote
on Wed, 3 Dec 2003 20:29:11 -0800
<vste3uf0irb3a7@corp.supernews.com>:
"The Ghost In The Machine" <ewill@sirius.athghost7038suus.net> wrote in
message news:iqa1a1-ri4.ln1@lexi2.athghost7038suus.net...
In sci.physics, Sam Wormley
<swormley1@mchsi.com>
wrote
on Mon, 01 Dec 2003 22:13:22 GMT
<3FCBBD01.20D2E8FC@mchsi.com>:
Ref: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
Three researchers in Germany claim to
have focused light down to the smallest
spot size ever. Using a radially polarized
beam from a helium-neon laser, the trio
from the Univeristy of Erlangen-Nürnberg,
produced a spot with an area of just 0.06
square microns. This is almost half the size
of the previous record (Physical Review
Letters to be published)
See: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
0.06 square microns = a radius of 0.00014 m or 140 microns.
Since a He-Ne is probably on the order of 600-650 nm this
isn't exactly an Airy circle, although I'm now wondering
as to why they can't focus it any lower. The result
is about 210 photons in radius or 420 photons wide.
.06 square microns = a radius of 0.138 microns--on the order of the
wavelength of some pretty extreme UV. I thought you were smarter
than that.
Hm...my bad; I can't seem to get my decimal points in the right place! :-)
That's *much* closer to an Airy circle...
Mark Folsom
--
#191,
It's still legal to go .sigless.
.
|
|
|
|
|
| User: "Sam Wormley" |
|
| Title: Re: Scientists bring light to sharpest focus -- 0.06 square microns |
03 Dec 2003 10:41:36 PM |
|
|
The Ghost In The Machine wrote:
In sci.physics, Sam Wormley
<swormley1@mchsi.com>
wrote
on Mon, 01 Dec 2003 22:13:22 GMT
<3FCBBD01.20D2E8FC@mchsi.com>:
Ref: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
Three researchers in Germany claim to
have focused light down to the smallest
spot size ever. Using a radially polarized
beam from a helium-neon laser, the trio
from the Univeristy of Erlangen-Nürnberg,
produced a spot with an area of just 0.06
square microns. This is almost half the size
of the previous record (Physical Review
Letters to be published)
See: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/12/1
0.06 square microns = a radius of 0.00014 m or 140 microns.
Since a He-Ne is probably on the order of 600-650 nm this
isn't exactly an Airy circle, although I'm now wondering
as to why they can't focus it any lower. The result
is about 210 photons in radius or 420 photons wide.
See: http://www.google.com/search?q=%280.06+square+microns%29%5E.5+in+microns
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
