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    "story_id": "mp-2026-08-10-002",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-feature-levitated-silicon-nanorod",
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    "headline": "Light Held the Rod and Made It Spin",
    "slug": "light-held-the-rod-and-made-it-spin",
    "dek": "Optical fields levitated nanofabricated silicon cylinders, tuned their oscillations above one megahertz and drove rapid rotation without contact.",
    "summary": "Optical fields levitated nanofabricated silicon cylinders, tuned their oscillations above one megahertz and drove rapid rotation without contact.",
    "body_text": "A team reports levitating uniform silicon nanorods as narrow as 50 nanometers and as long as 1,500 nanometers, then controlling their translation, alignment and rotation with light. The measured oscillation frequencies could be tuned from 10 kilohertz to above one megahertz, while optical torque produced high rotation rates. The authors propose the platform for precision torque sensing and, at smaller scales, future quantum tests. Those latter uses are goals rather than demonstrated applications, and the work is a laboratory preprint.",
    "why_it_matters": "Optical fields levitated nanofabricated silicon cylinders, tuned their oscillations above one megahertz and drove rapid rotation without contact.",
    "limitations": [
      "Those latter uses are goals rather than demonstrated applications, and the work is a laboratory preprint."
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    "first_published_at": "2026-08-10T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-08-10T15:50:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "Optical fields levitated nanofabricated silicon cylinders, tuned their oscillations above one megahertz and drove rapid rotation without contact.",
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        "qualification": "Those latter uses are goals rather than demonstrated applications, and the work is a laboratory preprint."
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    "tags": [
      "optomechanics",
      "silicon nanorods",
      "levitation",
      "precision sensing"
    ],
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  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-08-10-002",
      "title": "arXiv preprint 2608.07415",
      "publisher": "arXiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.07415",
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      "source_type": "primary_research",
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      "published_at": "2026-08-07T13:00:00.000-04:00",
      "accessed_at": "2026-08-10T15:30:00.000-04:00",
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    "name": "The Machine Press",
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    "title": "Light Held the Rod and Made It Spin",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-08-10T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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