  We report the first experimental study upon the optical trapping and
manipulation of topological insulator (TI) particles. By virtue of the unique
TI properties, which have a conducting surface and an insulating bulk, the
particles present a peculiar behaviour in the presence of a single laser beam
optical tweezers: they oscillate in a plane perpendicular to the direction of
the laser propagation, as a result of the competition between radiation
pressure and gradient forces. In other words, TI particles behave as optically
induced oscillators, allowing dynamical measurements with unprecedented
simplicity and purely optical control. Actually, optical rheology of soft
matter interfaces and biological membranes, as well as dynamical force
measurements in macromolecules and biopolymers, may be quoted as feasible
possibilities for the near future.
