Our laboratory warmly welcomes applicants from other universities and departments. If you're interested, including in lab tours, please feel free to contact Prof. Tanaka (ytanaka_at_es.hokudai.ac.jp). For entrance examination information, please check this link to the course of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University.

The laboratory led by Professor Yoshito Tanaka was established in April 2023 at the Research Institute for Electronic Science (RIES), Hokkaido University. Our mission is to deeply understand and precisely control the interactions between artificially designed nanostructures and light through the lens of momentum and angular momentum. We aim to uncover the mechanics, geometry, and symmetry underlying the interplay between light and matter at the nanoscale, pioneering new principles of optical manipulation. This distinctive foundational technology unlocks a broad spectrum of possibilities—from the creation of bio-inspired, light-driven nanoactuators and the structural ordering of matter through the "twist" of light, to the laser cooling of solid objects. Our research transcends existing boundaries, driving innovation across diverse fields, from future medical applications such as nanosurgery and drug delivery to quantum science and space exploration. Driven by pure intellectual curiosity—or what we call "Omoroi"—we continue to push the boundaries of science to define the next frontier of technology.

1. Unveiling orbital optical chirality through multipolar chiral light–matter interaction

Shun Hashiyada*, An’an Wu, Yoshito Y. Tanaka*

Optica,  Vol. 13, 353-361 (2026). 

2. Plasmonic linear nanomotor employing lateral optical forces

      Yoshito Y. Tanaka*, Pablo Albella, Mohsen Rahmani, Vincenzo Giannini, Stefan A. Maier, and Tsutomu Shimura

     Science Advances,  Vol. 6, eabc3726 (2020).

3. Tridirectional Polarization Routing of Light by a Single Triangular Plasmonic Nanoparticle           

      Yoshito Y. Tanaka*, Tsutomu Shimura   

      Nano Letters,  Vol. 17, 3165-3170 (2017).

4. Nanoscale Color Sorting of Surface Plasmons in a Double-Nanogap Structure with Multipolar Plasmon Excitation      

      Yoshito Y. Tanaka, Masaya Komatsu, Hideki Fujiwara, Keiji Sasaki*      

     Nano Letters,  Vol. 15, 7086-7090 (2015).

5. Nanostructured Potential of Optical Trapping Using a Plasmonic Nanoblock Pair                     

      Yoshito Tanaka, Shogo Kaneda, Keiji Sasaki*         

      Nano Letters,  Vol. 13, 2146-2150 (2013).