Research
My research activities have mostly dealt with the manipulation of matter at the nanoscale by means of electric fields and lasers.
Funding
We are very grateful for the following grants:
PID2021-127427NB-I00 "Comportamiento de enjambre y agregación de microrrobots mediante interacciones controladas" (Proyectos del Plan Nacional 2021)
Esta investigación ha sido financiada por la Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación de la Junta de Andalucía y por FEDER, Una manera de hacer Europa (P18-FR-3583)
EQC2018-004693-P "ADQUISICION DE UN SISTEMA COMBINADO DE PINZAS OPTICAS Y ESPECTROSCOPIA RAMAN PARA MANIPULACION Y ESTUDIO DE MICRO- y NANO-PARTICULAS EN SUSPENSION" (Ayudas para infraestructuras y equipamiento Científico-Técnico del Plan Estatal de I+D 2018)
C-FQM-410-UGR18 "DESARROLLO DE UNA NANO-SONDA BASADA EN NANOPARTÍCULAS LEVITADAS PARA EL ESTUDIO DE LA DINÁMICA DE SISTEMAS COMPLEJOS" (Proyectos I+D+i del Programa Operativo FEDER 2018)
PGC2018-098770-B-I00 "Nanopartículas en medios confinados: estructura de equilibrio y respuesta a campos externos" (Plan Nacional I+D+i 2018)
Topics
Optomechanics with levitated nanoparticles
Nanoparticles levitated in high vacuum have emerged as a rich playground for exploring different frontiers of physics, particularly on stochastic thermodynamics, ultra-precise sensing and the applicability of quantum mechanics at the mesoscale. I am developing novel levitation schemes that provide enhanced control over matter at the nanoscale, aiming at establishing a playground for experimentation in unexplored regimes.
Related publications:
"Motion control and optical interrogation of a levitating single NV in vacuum" arXiv preprint (2018)
"Optically levitated nanoparticle as a model system for stochastic bistable dynamics" Nature Communications 8 (2017) 15141 (Journal link)
"Trapping and manipulation of individual nanoparticles in a planar Paul trap" Applied Physics Letters 109 (2016) 163105 (Journal link)
Fig.1 Image of a single nanoparticle trapped with a Paul trap and placed at the focus of an objective lens. The image of the particle is due to its scattering of a focused laser beam.
Stochastic Thermodynamics with optical tweezers
I am interested in the experimental exploration of the energy exchanges at the mesoscale, where thermal fluctuations strongly influence their dynamics and where classical concepts as temperature and heat have to be defined in a different way if one wants to use a thermodynamic framework for their description. During my stay at ICFO, I participated in the experimental implementation of a microscopic heat engine working between two different heat baths and influenced by a violent tug-of-war due to Brownian motion. This was done by using a single microparticle trapped in an optical trap as the working substance.
Related publications:
"Colloidal heat engines: a review" Soft Matter 13 (2017) 22-36 (Journal link)
"Brownian Carnot engine" Nature Physics 12 (2016) 67-70 arXiv preprint (Journal link)
"Thermodynamics at the microscale: from effective heating to the Brownian Carnot engine" Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiments (2016) 054003 (Journal link) arXiv preprint
"Adiabatic processes realized with a trapped Brownian particle" Physical Review Letters 114 (2015) 120601 arXiv preprint (Journal link)
"Realization of nonequilibrium thermodynamic processes using external colored noise" Physical Review E 90 (2014) 032116 Arxiv preprint (Journal link)
"Measuring kinetic energy changes in the mesoscale with low acquisition rates" Applied Physics Letters 104 (2014) 234103 Arxiv preprint (Journal link)
Fig.2 Measured temperature - entropy plot of the operation of the Brownian Carnot Engine.
Electro-thermoplasmonics
We are working on the upgrade of a microfluidic platform for plasmonic biosensing. The upgrade consist in the reduction of the essay time and an increase in sensibility by means of electro-thermally induced convection in the microchannels. More info soon.
Electrokinetics
In particular, effect of inter-particles interactions on the electrokinetics of concentrated suspensions of non-spherical colloids.
Capacitive mixing
A novel principle for generation of clean renewable energy from salinity differences CAPMIX