  In nanofabrication, just as in any other craft, the scale of spatial details
is limited by the dimensions of the tool at hand. For example, the smallest
details for direct laser writing with far-field light are set by the
diffraction limit, which is approximately half of the used wavelength. In this
work, we overcome this universal assertion by optically forging graphene
ripples that show features with dimensions unlimited by diffraction. Thin sheet
elasticity simulations suggest that the scaled-down ripples originate from the
interplay between substrate adhesion, in-plane strain, and circular symmetry.
The optical forging technique thus offers an accurate way to modify and shape
two-dimensional materials and facilitates the creation of controllable
nanostructures for plasmonics, resonators, and nano-optics.
