Light-driven nanodrones

A method of operating a nanodrone wherein the nanodrone comprises a substrate extending perpendicular to a normal direction and two or more nanoantennas arranged one or both of on the substrate and in the substrate, wherein each of the two or more nanoantennas exhibits an optically addressable resonance at a respective resonance wavelength, wherein the two or more nanoantennas comprise a first nanoantenna and a second nanoantenna, each being configured to scatter circularly polarized light at the respective resonance wavelength that is incident on the nanoantenna along the normal direction such that photons of the scattered light have a mean wavevector {right arrow over (k)}i,L and {right arrow over (k)}i,R in a plane perpendicular to the normal direction for left- and right-circularly polarized light, respectively, with i=1 for the first nanoantenna and i=2 for the second nanoantenna wherein,

• {right arrow over (k)}i,ji with ji=L or R is non-zero;
• {right arrow over (k)}i,ji with {right arrow over (j)}i=L for ji=R and {right arrow over (j)}i=R for ji=L is substantially zero or substantially anti-parallel to {right arrow over (k)}i,jil;
• and
• at least one of {right arrow over (k)}i,L and {right arrow over (k)}1,R is substantially parallel or substantially anti-parallel to one of {right arrow over (k)}2,L and {right arrow over (k)}2,R,
• the method comprising:
• illuminating the nanodrone substantially along the normal direction with polarized light at the resonance wavelength of the first nanoantenna and polarized light at the resonance wavelength of the second nanoantenna, wherein the polarization of the light at the resonance wavelength of the first nanoantenna and the polarization of the light at the resonance wavelength of the second nanoantenna are chosen such that the linear momenta transferred to the nanodrone by light scattered by the first and second nanoantennas generate one or both of a force acting on the nanodrone that is substantially perpendicular to the normal direction and a torque acting on the nanodrone that is substantially collinear with the normal direction.

A system for operating a nanodrone, wherein the nanodrone comprises a substrate extending perpendicular to a normal direction and two or more nanoantennas arranged one or both of on the substrate and in the substrate, wherein each of the two or more nanoantennas exhibits an optically addressable resonance at a respective resonance wavelength, wherein the two or more nanoantennas comprise a first nanoantennas and a second nanoantenna each being configured to scatter circularly polarized light at the respective resonance wavelength that is incident on the nanoantenna along the normal direction such that photons of the scattered light have a mean wavevector {right arrow over (k)}i,L and {right arrow over (k)}i,R in a plane perpendicular to the normal direction for left- and right-circularly polarized light, respectively, with i=1 for the first nanoantenna and i=2 for the second nanoantenna, wherein:

• {right arrow over (k)}i,ji with ji=L or R is non-zero;
• {right arrow over (k)}i,ji with ji=L for ji=R and ji=R for ji=L is substantially zero or substantially anti-parallel to {right arrow over (k)}i,ji;
• and
• at least one of {right arrow over (k)}i,L and {right arrow over (k)}1,R is substantially parallel or substantially anti-parallel to one of {right arrow over (k)}2,L and {right arrow over (k)}2,R,
• the system comprising:
• an illumination system configured to generate polarized light at the resonance wavelength of the first nanoantenna and at the resonance wavelength of the second nanoantenna, wherein the illumination system is configured to adjust a polarization and an intensity of the light at the resonance wavelengths of the first and second nanoantennas;
• an imaging system for imaging the nanodrone;
• and
• a controller for controlling the illumination system,
• wherein the controller is configured to:
• obtain a motion command that specifies a movement that is to be performed with the nanodrone;
• determine an orientation of the nanodrone from an image obtained from the imaging system;
• determine polarizations and intensities for the light generated by the illumination system at the resonance wavelengths of the first and second nanoantennas based on the motion command and the determined orientation;
• and
• illuminate, using the illumination system, the nanodrone with light at the resonance wavelengths of the first and second nanoantennas with the determined polarizations and intensities to perform the movement specified by the motion command.