Symmetry & Chirality

We have broad interests in the interaction of optical, electric, and magnetic fields with matter. A particular focus is symmetry breaking & chirality, ranging from the molecular to the nano/micro-scale.  Our research is therefore quite interdisciplinary and currently includes light-matter interactions, absolute asymmetric synthesis, low Reynolds number hydrodynamics, and the fabrication of nano-structured materials. We have observed a number of fundamental effects and have developed new experimental techniques and instruments.

Our work in the news

Latest publication:

Voltage controllable micromagnets

We made the first particles that have both an electric and a magnetic dipole moment. After embedding these Janus  particles in PDMS, we can align them with an electric field. This allows the polarity of this soft-matter magnet to be controlled with a voltage (more..)

We have specific interests in:

Nano-structured surfaces	Measuring nanoradians
Splitting light	Voltage controllable micromagnets
Negative refractive index in non-magnetic media	Discriminating chiral molecules in NMR
Chirality in nonlinear optics	Magneto-optical light deflection
Ring-resonators	Plasmonics in E & B fields (coming soon)