When light holds matter and matter creates light

How can tiny particles be held in place without physical contact? And just how small can a light source actually be? At our booth, you can discover the fascinating world of light-matter interactions. Researchers from the Photonics Laboratory on the Hönggerberg campus will show you how light and matter interact on the smallest possible scale. This involves ultra-thin 2D materials, consisting of just a single layer of atoms, and optical tweezers, which can be used to manipulate nanoparticles with the aid of light.

How can matter be held and controlled without touching it?

Find out how particles can levitate without physical contact and what physical mechanisms underlie this. Such levitation techniques isolate the particles almost completely from their surroundings and open up new paths for exploring quantum mechanics.

How small can a light source be?

Discover 2D materials from which light sources can be produced on the atomic scale. We show how researchers handle and investigate these extremely thin materials, and how they make their light visible and measurable.

Other events by the Photonics Laboratory at Scientifica:
Guided tour: Light-controlled particles and 2D materials
Sunday, 23. August 2026, 12:00; 14:00; 16:00