Abstract

We present the result of an investigation into the optical trapping of spherical microparticles using laser beams with a spatially inhomogeneous polarization direction [cylindrical vector beams (CVBs)]. We perform three-dimensional tracking of the Brownian fluctuations in the position of a trapped particle and extract the trap spring constants. We characterize the trap geometry by the aspect ratio of spring constants in the directions transverse and parallel to the beam propagation direction and evaluate this figure of merit as a function of polarization angle. We show that the additional degree of freedom present in CVBs allows us to control the optical trap strength and geometry by adjusting only the polarization of the trapping beam. Experimental results are compared with a theoretical model of optical trapping using CVBs derived from electromagnetic scattering theory in the T-matrix framework.

© 2012 Optical Society of America

Optical trapping of nanotubes with cylindrical vector beams

M. G. Donato, S. Vasi, R. Sayed, P. H. Jones, F. Bonaccorso, A. C. Ferrari, P. G. Gucciardi, and O. M. Maragò
Opt. Lett. 37(16) 3381-3383 (2012)

Optical trapping of gold nanoparticles by cylindrical vector beam

Lu Huang, Honglian Guo, Jiafang Li, Lin Ling, Baohua Feng, and Zhi-Yuan Li
Opt. Lett. 37(10) 1694-1696 (2012)

Efficient optical trapping with cylindrical vector beams

H. Moradi, V. Shahabadi, E. Madadi, E. Karimi, and F. Hajizadeh
Opt. Express 27(5) 7266-7276 (2019)

Optical trapping of micrometer-sized dielectric particles by cylindrical vector beams

Yuichi Kozawa and Shunichi Sato
Opt. Express 18(10) 10828-10833 (2010)

Forces in optical tweezers with radially and azimuthally polarized trapping beams

Timo A. Nieminen, Norman R. Heckenberg, and Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
Opt. Lett. 33(2) 122-124 (2008)