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Group research interests

Experimental nano thermodynamics studied by optical traps

Experimental simulations of the Carnot cycle using the optical trap with tunable stiffness and the microsphere with tunable kinetic temperature
We use optical traps with tunable stiffnesses and spatial-temporal profiles of the trapping potential to trap microspheres those random motions are governed both the Brownian thermal force and an additional external random force applied to the sphere.
We use optical traps with tunable stiffnesses and spatial-temporal profiles of the trapping potential to trap microspheres those random motions are governed both the Brownian thermal force and an additional external random force applied to the sphere. The external control of the kinetic temperature of the sphere may be done with microsecond resolution, and effectively heats the sphere to several thousand kelvin in liquid.

With this experimental technique we simulate experimentally isothermal, isochoric, isobaric, and adiabatic processes as well as different variants of their cyclic combinations.

Funding:

  • MICIIN - Ministerio de Ciencia y Innovacion
  • Fundacion Privada CELLEX

Collaborators:

Juan M.R. Parrondo, Dep. de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear and GISC, Universidad Complutense de Madrid