Abstract

Many experiments and force calculations^1,2 relating to optical trapping for transparent particles have been carried out. Recently, optical trappings of micrometer-sized iron particles with a scanning laser beam³ and of nanometer-sized gold particles⁴ have been reported. We have also demonstrated optical trapping of micrometer-sized metal particles with a fixed laser beam.⁵ However, metal particles have a complex refractive index, and force calculations for these absorptive particles have, to our knowledge, not yet been reported.

© 1995 Optical Society of America