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Brownian motion of graphene.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Maragó, Onofrio M 
Bonaccorso, Francesco 
Saija, Rosalba 
Privitera, Giulia 
Gucciardi, Pietro G 

Abstract

Brownian motion is a manifestation of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of statistical mechanics. It regulates systems in physics, biology, chemistry, and finance. We use graphene as prototype material to unravel the consequences of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem in two dimensions, by studying the Brownian motion of optically trapped graphene flakes. These orient orthogonal to the light polarization, due to the optical constants anisotropy. We explain the flake dynamics in the optical trap and measure force and torque constants from the correlation functions of the tracking signals, as well as comparing experiments with a full electromagnetic theory of optical trapping. The understanding of optical trapping of two-dimensional nanostructures gained through our Brownian motion analysis paves the way to light-controlled manipulation and all-optical sorting of biological membranes and anisotropic macromolecules.

Description

Keywords

Brownian motion, optical tweezers, graphene, electromagnetic scattering theory, RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY, CARBON NANOTUBES, OPTICAL TWEEZERS, GRAPHITE, PARTICLES, EXFOLIATION, SURFACTANTS, PHOTONICS, LIGHT, LASER

Journal Title

ACS Nano

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1936-0851
1936-086X

Volume Title

4

Publisher

American Chemical Society (ACS)
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/E500935/1)
EPSRC (452)