Abstract

The behavior of several simultaneously trapped, micrometer-sized particles in a fiber-optical trap consisting of two opposing single-mode fibers delivering counterpropagating, near-IR laser beams strongly depends on the size of the particles. Whereas beads that are considerably larger than the laser wavelength are pressed against each other in an axial line, smaller beads spontaneously arrange themselves into regular chains of equidistantly separated particles suspended in space with increasing separation for increasing bead diameter. A simple model based on self-organization by means of diffraction from the particles is capable of explaining the basic features of our experimental observations in the investigated range of bead diameters and refractive indices.

© 2003 Optical Society of America

Indirect optical gripping with triplet traps

Brian Koss, Sagar Chowdhury, Thomas Aabo, S. K. Gupta, and Wolfgang Losert
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 28(5) 982-985 (2011)

Optical trapping microfabrication with electrophoretically delivered particles inside glass capillaries

Xin-Cheng Yao and Alonso Castro
Opt. Lett. 28(15) 1335-1337 (2003)

Diffraction-limited optical dipole trap with a hollow optical fiber

Yong-Il Shin, Myoungsun Heo, Jae-Wan Kim, Wooshik Shim, Heung-Ryoul Noh, and Wonho Jhe
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20(5) 937-941 (2003)

Measurement of optical trapping forces by use of the two-photon-excited fluorescence of microspheres

A. V. Kachynski, A. N. Kuzmin, H. E. Pudavar, D. S. Kaputa, A. N. Cartwright, and P. N. Prasad
Opt. Lett. 28(23) 2288-2290 (2003)

Multiple traps created with an inclined dual-fiber system

Yuxiang Liu and Miao Yu
Opt. Express 17(24) 21680-21690 (2009)