Harnessing atomic forces for the opto-mechanical manipulation of a mesoscopic object

We are interested in the opto-mechanical manipulation of nanodiamonds with a high concentration of SiV centers. Optical tweezers usually rely on the interaction of light and the ‘bulk’ polarizability of the nanoparticle itself. Here we exploit the polarizability of electronic resonances of optical centers embedded in the solid-state matrix to enhance the optical forces. This effect becomes particularly relevant for ensembles of active centers. The emitters being closely packed in a sub-wavelength volume, can act cooperatively, enhancing further the optical forces. This opens the possibility to apply the powerful toolbox of atomic physics for the quantum manipulation of ‘massive’ mesoscopic objects.