Ashkin

Ashkin is a surname. A notable bearer is Arthur Ashkin, an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018 for the development of optical tweezers. Optical tweezers use highly focused laser beams to trap and manipulate microscopic particles, enabling non-contact manipulation of biological systems and soft matter. Ashkin conducted much of his research at Bell Labs in New Jersey, where he demonstrated that light can exert measurable forces on matter and can be used to hold and move small objects without physical contact. His work has had a lasting impact on multiple disciplines, including biophysics, cellular biology, and nanotechnology, by allowing researchers to study molecular interactions, cellular mechanics, and single biomolecules with high precision.

Beyond Arthur Ashkin, the surname is relatively uncommon, and there are few other widely recognized individuals with the name. The etymology and geographic distribution of Ashkin are not widely documented in major reference works, and the name does not correspond to a well-known place or institution in common reference sources.