arXiv subjects

Norbert F. Scherer

Publications and source records attributed to Norbert F. Scherer.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Pseudorotation and N-body Forces in an Optical Matter System

Isomerization in molecular systems almost invariably occurs through 3-dimensional motion due to the nature of chemical bonding. Pseudorotation is an unusual type of isomerization that occurs in some high symmetry systems that gives the appearance of rigid-body rotation yet only involves atom rearrangements. This paper demonstrates that pseudorotation occurs in 2-dimensions in an optical matter (OM) system of metal nanoparticle constituents. The difference in dimensionality of the dynamics arises from the electrodynamic field-interference nature of optical binding vs. quantum mechanical bonding in polyatomic molecules. The 8-nanoparticle OM "kite" structure we study in experiments and simulations has D2 (D2h) symmetry and a D4 symmetric transition state. The mechanism for pseudorotation involves correlated motion of all 8 nanoparticles with smooth (continuous) evolution of their interactions and without particles jumping in or out of the OM array. While the OM kite structure only occurs with 10% probability vs. other OM isomers, its rate of pseudorotation is rapid relative to transitions to other structural isomers (e.g., "teardrop"). The other isomers have structures that lie on a trigonal lattice with inter-particle separations at distances that enhance field interference and induced polarizations. Even though the kite isomer has inter-particle separations that would manifest destructive interference on a particle pair (i.e., 2-body) basis, the kite structure is the slowest to rearrange into any other isomer. We show that the unusual structure and dynamics of the kite optical matter system result from N-body interactions and forces demonstrating that N-body effects are important in this class of active matter and presumably more generally.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

0ptical trapping with optical magnetic field and photonic Hall effect forces

Optical trapping is having ever-increasing impact in science $-$ particularly biophysics, photonics and most recently in quantum optomechanics $-$ owing to its superior capability for manipulating nanoscale structures and materials. However, essentially all experimental optical trapping studies in the optical dipole regime have, to date, been dominated by the interaction between a material's electric polarizability, $α_{e}$, and the electric part of the incident electromagnetic field, and therefore described by electric field intensity gradient forces. Optical trapping based on optical magnetic light-matter interactions has not been experimentally addressed despite it's immediate extension of the boundaries of optical trapping research and applications. This paper addresses this long-standing deficiency through the realization of optical magnetic trapping of large index of refraction (i.e., Si) nanoparticles and also presents a formalism for quantitative understanding of the experimental findings. Our experimental optical trapping results require including optical magnetic polarizability, $α_{m}$, and electric-magnetic scattering forces associated with the Photonic Hall effect that are qualitatively and quantitatively validated by Maxwell stress tensor calculations. Our findings bring new opportunities for nanoparticle manipulation, potentially relax the limitations Ashkin claimed based on the optical Earnshaw's theorem, motivate optical matter formation by optical magnetic interactions, and suggest new N-body effects and symmetry breaking to drive dynamics of optical matter systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Generation of Robust Entanglement in Plasmonically Coupled Quantum Dots Driven by Quantum Squeezed Light

Our cavity quantum electrodynamics calculations demonstrate generation of steady-state entanglement between a plasmonically coupled pair of quantum dots by using single-mode squeezed light source. We show that strong coupling of plasmons to the incoming light source and the pairwise nature of squeezed photon generation enable the formation of entanglement between the initially unexcited quantum dots. The entanglement of quantum dots, measured as concurrence, can be improved replacing a pulsed source of light to continuous pumping of squeezed photons. Unlike previously introduced schemes the concurrence is robust against variations in the system parameters. Specifically, the generation of entanglement does not rely on fine tuning of plasmon quantum dot coupling. This work provides a new perspective for robust entangled state preparation in open quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Reactive optical matter: light-induced motility in electrodynamically asymmetric nano-scale scatterers

From Newtons third law, the principle of actio et reactio, we expect the forces between interacting particles to be equal and opposite. However, non-reciprocal forces can arise. Specifically, this has recently been shown theoretically in the interaction between dissimilar optically trapped particles mediated by an external field. As a result, despite the incident external field not having a transverse component of momentum, the particle pair experiences a force in a direction transverse to the light propagation direction. In this letter, we directly measure the net non-reciprocal force in electrodynamically interacting nanoparticle dimers illuminated by plane waves and confined to pseudo one-dimensional geometries. We show by electrodynamic theory and simulations that inter-particle interactions cause asymmetric scattering from heterodimers and therefore, the non-reciprocal forces are a consequence of momentum conservation. Finally, we demonstrate experimentally that non-reciprocal dynamics occur generally for illuminated asymmetric scatterers.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2018

3D Snapshot Microscopy of Extended Objects

Volumetric biological imaging often involves compromising high temporal resolution at the expense of high spatial resolution when popular scanning methods are used to capture 3D information. We introduce an integrated experimental and image reconstruction method for capturing dynamic 3D fluorescent extended objects as a series of synchronously measured 3D snapshots taken at the frame rate of the imaging camera. We employ multifocal microscopy (MFM) to simultaneously image at 25 focal planes and process this depth-encoded image to recover the 3D structure of extended objects, such as bacteria, using a sparsity-based reconstruction approach. The combined experimental and computational method produces image quality similar to confocal microscopy in a fraction of the acquisition time. In addition, our computational image reconstruction approach allows a simplified MFM optical design by correcting aberrations using the measured response to point sources. This "compressive" MFM acquisition and reconstruction method, where an image volume with roughly 8 million voxels is recovered from a single 1-megapixel captured image, enables straightforward study of dynamic processes in 3D, and as a simultaneous snapshot advances the state of the art in dynamic 3D microscopy.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Direct Visualization of Barrier Crossing Dynamics in a Driven Optical Matter System

A major impediment to a more complete understanding of barrier crossing and other single-molecule processes is the inability to directly visualize the trajectories and dynamics of atoms and molecules in reactions. Rather, the kinetics are inferred from ensemble measurements or the position of a transducer (e.g. an AFM cantilever) as a surrogate variable. Direct visualization is highly desirable. Here, we achieve the direct measurement of barrier crossing trajectories by using optical microscopy to observe position and orientation changes of pairs of Ag nanoparticles in an optical ring trap, i.e. passing events. A two-step mechanism similar to a bimolecular exchange reaction is revealed by analysis that combines detailed knowledge of each trajectory, a statistically significant number of repetitions of the passing events, and the driving force-dependence of the process. We find that while the total event rate increases with driving force, this increase is only due to increased rate of encounters. There is no drive force-dependence on the rate of barrier crossing because the key motion for the process involves a radial motion of one particle as a thermal (random) fluctuation allowing the other to pass. This simple experiment can readily be extended to study more complex barrier crossing processes by replacing the spherical metal nanoparticles with anisotropic ones or through more intricate optical trapping potentials.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2018

Particle Tracking and Extended Object Imaging by Interferometric Super Resolution Microscopy

An interferometric fluorescent microscope and a novel theoretic image reconstruction approach were developed and used to obtain super-resolution images of live biological samples and to enable dynamic real time tracking. The tracking utilizes the information stored in the interference pattern of both the illuminating incoherent light and the emitted light. By periodically shifting the interferometer phase and a phase retrieval algorithm we obtain information that allow localization with sub-2 nm axial resolution at 5 Hz.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2018

Dynamics of optically directed assembly and disassembly of plasmonic nanoplatelet arrays

Studies of nanoparticle-based optical matter have only considered spherical constituents. Yet nanoparticles with other shapes are expected to have different local electromagnetic field distributions and therefore interactions with neighbors in optical matter arrays. Therefore, one would expect their dynamics to be different as well. We investigate directed-assembly of ordered arrays of plasmonic nanoplatelets in optical line traps demonstrating reconfigurability of the array by altering the phase gradient via holographic beam shaping. The weaker gradient forces on and resultant slower motion of the nanoplatelets as compared with plasmonic nanospheres allows precise study of their assembly and disassembly dynamics. Both temporal and spatial correlations are detected between particles separated by some hundreds of nanometers to several microns. Electrodynamics simulations reveal the presence of multipolar plasmon modes that induce short range (near-field) and longer range electrodynamic interactions. These interactions cause both the strong correlations and the non-uniform dynamics observed. Our findings demonstrate new opportunities to generate complex adressable optical matter by exploiting interference between mutipolar plamon modes and create novel active optical technology.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Analysis and correction of errors in nanoscale particle tracking using the Single-pixel interior filling function (SPIFF) algorithm

Particle tracking, which is an essential tool in many fields of scientific research, uses algorithms that retrieve the centroid of tracked particles with sub-pixel accuracy. However, images in which the particles occupy a small number of pixels on the detector, are in close proximity to other particles or suffer from background noise, show a systematic error in which the particle sub-pixel positions are biased towards the center of the pixel. This pixel locking effect greatly reduces particle tracking accuracy. In this report, we demonstrate the severity of these errors by tracking experimental (and simulated) imaging data of optically trapped silver nanoparticles and single fluorescent proteins. We show that errors in interparticle separation, angle and mean square displacement are significantly reduced by applying the corrective Single- pixel interior filling function (SPIFF) algorithm. Our work demonstrates the potential ubiquity of such errors and the general applicability of SPIFF correction to many experimental fields.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Shape dynamics of growing cell walls

We introduce a general theoretical framework to study the shape dynamics of actively growing and remodeling surfaces. Using this framework we develop a physical model for growing bacterial cell walls and study the interplay of cell shape with the dynamics of growth and constriction. The model allows us to derive constraints on cell wall mechanical energy based on the observed dynamics of cell shape. We predict that exponential growth in cell size requires a constant amount of cell wall energy to be dissipated per unit volume. We use the model to understand and contrast growth in bacteria with different shapes such as spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical and toroidal morphologies. Coupling growth to cell wall constriction, we predict a discontinuous shape transformation, from partial constriction to cell division, as a function of the chemical potential driving cell-wall synthesis. Our model for cell wall energy and shape dynamics relates growth kinetics with cell geometry, and provides a unified framework to describe the interplay between shape, growth and division in bacterial cells.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2015

Intergenerational continuity of cell shape dynamics in Caulobacter crescentus

We investigate the intergenerational shape dynamics of single Caulobacter crescentus cells using a novel combination of imaging techniques and theoretical modeling. We determine the dynamics of cell pole-to-pole lengths, cross-sectional widths, and medial curvatures from high accuracy measurements of cell contours. Moreover, these shape parameters are determined for over 250 cells across approximately 10000 total generations, which affords high statistical precision. Our data and model show that constriction is initiated early in the cell cycle and that its dynamics are controlled by the time scale of exponential longitudinal growth. Based on our extensive and detailed growth and contour data, we develop a minimal mechanical model that quantitatively accounts for the cell shape dynamics and suggests that the asymmetric location of the division plane reflects the distinct mechanical properties of the stalked and swarmer poles. Furthermore, we find that the asymmetry in the division plane location is inherited from the previous generation. We interpret these results in terms of the current molecular understanding of shape, growth, and division of C. crescentus

q-bio.CB↗

arXiv2014

Scaling laws governing stochastic growth and division of single bacterial cells

Uncovering the quantitative laws that govern the growth and division of single cells remains a major challenge. Using a unique combination of technologies that yields unprecedented statistical precision, we find that the sizes of individual Caulobacter crescentus cells increase exponentially in time. We also establish that they divide upon reaching a critical multiple ($\approx$1.8) of their initial sizes, rather than an absolute size. We show that when the temperature is varied, the growth and division timescales scale proportionally with each other over the physiological temperature range. Strikingly, the cell-size and division-time distributions can both be rescaled by their mean values such that the condition-specific distributions collapse to universal curves. We account for these observations with a minimal stochastic model that is based on an autocatalytic cycle. It predicts the scalings, as well as specific functional forms for the universal curves. Our experimental and theoretical analysis reveals a simple physical principle governing these complex biological processes: a single temperature-dependent scale of cellular time governs the stochastic dynamics of growth and division in balanced growth conditions.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2014

Universality in stochastic exponential growth

Recent imaging data for single bacterial cells reveal that their mean sizes grow exponentially in time and that their size distributions collapse to a single curve when rescaled by their means. An analogous result holds for the division-time distributions. A model is needed to delineate the minimal requirements for these scaling behaviors. We formulate a microscopic theory of stochastic exponential growth as a Master Equation that accounts for these observations, in contrast to existing quantitative models of stochastic exponential growth (e.g., the Black-Scholes equation or geometric Brownian motion). Our model, the stochastic Hinshelwood cycle (SHC), is an autocatalytic reaction cycle in which each molecular species catalyzes the production of the next. By finding exact analytical solutions to the SHC and the corresponding first passage time problem, we uncover universal signatures of fluctuations in exponential growth and division. The model makes minimal assumptions, and we describe how more complex reaction networks can reduce to such a cycle. We thus expect similar scalings to be discovered in stochastic processes resulting in exponential growth that appear in diverse contexts such as cosmology, finance, technology, and population growth.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2013

Ultrafast Reversal of a Fano Resonance in a Plasmon-Exciton System

When a two-level quantum dot and a plasmonic metal nanoantenna are resonantly coupled by the electromagnetic near field, the system can exhibit a Fano resonance, resulting in a transparency dip in the optical spectrum of the coupled system. We calculate the nonlinear response of such a system, for illumination both by continuous-wave and ultrafast pulsed lasers, using both a cavity quantum electrodynamics and a semiclassical coupled-oscillator model. For the experimentally relevant case of meV thermal broadening of the quantum-dot transition, we predict that femtosecond pulsed illumination can lead to a reversal of the Fano resonance, with the induced transparency changing into a superscattering spike in the spectrum. This ultrafast reversal is due to a transient change in the phase relationship between the dipoles of the plasmon and the quantum dot. It thus represents a new approach to dynamically control the collective optical properties and coherence of coupled nanoparticle systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Structural Responses of Quasi-2D Colloid Fluids to Excitations Elicited by Nonequilibrium Perturbations

We investigate the response of a dense monodisperse quasi-two-dimensional (q2D) colloid suspension when a particle is dragged by a constant velocity optical trap. Consistent with microrheological studies of other geometries, the perturbation induces a leading density wave and trailing wake, and we use Stokesian Dynamics (SD) simulations to parse direct colloid-colloid and hydrodynamic interactions. We go on to analyze the underlying individual particle-particle collisions in the experimental images. The displacements of particles form chains reminiscent of stress propagation in sheared granular materials. From these data, we can reconstruct steady-state dipolar flow patterns that were predicted for dilute suspensions and previously observed in granular analogs to our system. The decay of this field differs, however, from point Stokeslet calculations, indicating that the finite size of the colloids is important. Moreover, there is a pronounced angular dependence that corresponds to the surrounding colloid structure, which evolves in response to the perturbation. Put together, our results show that the response of the complex fluid is highly anisotropic owing to the fact that the effects of the perturbation propagate through the structured medium via chains of colloid-colloid collisions.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2012

Phase resetting reveals network dynamics underlying a bacterial cell cycle

Genomic and proteomic methods yield networks of biological regulatory interactions but do not provide direct insight into how those interactions are organized into functional modules, or how information flows from one module to another. In this work we introduce an approach that provides this complementary information and apply it to the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, a paradigm for cell-cycle control. Operationally, we use an inducible promoter to express the essential transcriptional regulatory gene ctrA in a periodic, pulsed fashion. This chemical perturbation causes the population of cells to divide synchronously, and we use the resulting advance or delay of the division times of single cells to construct a phase resetting curve. We find that delay is strongly favored over advance. This finding is surprising since it does not follow from the temporal expression profile of CtrA and, in turn, simulations of existing network models. We propose a phenomenological model that suggests that the cell-cycle network comprises two distinct functional modules that oscillate autonomously and couple in a highly asymmetric fashion. These features collectively provide a new mechanism for tight temporal control of the cell cycle in C. crescentus. We discuss how the procedure can serve as the basis for a general approach for probing network dynamics, which we term chemical perturbation spectroscopy (CPS).

q-bio.MN↗

arXiv2006

Ultrafast resonant optical scattering from single gold nanorods: Large nonlinearities and plasmon saturation

We measure nonlinear optical scattering from individual Au nanorods excited by ultrafast laser pulses on resonance with their longitudinal plasmon mode. Isolating single rods removes inhomogeneous broadening and allows the measurement of a large nonlinearity, much greater than that of nanorod ensembles. Surprisingly, the ultrafast nonlinearity can be attributed entirely to heating of conduction electrons and does not exhibit any response associated with coherent plasmon oscillation. This indicates a previously unobserved damping of strongly driven plasmons.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗