The slow, laser-induced coalescence of two conjoined, polystyrene spheres levitated in a quadrupole ion trap is investigated by monitoring optical morphology dependent resonances (MDRs) appearing in the fluorescence emission spectrum. The heated bisphere is driven by surface tension to become a single, larger sphere with a volume equal to the combined volumes of the two initial spheres. In the final stage of the structural transformation the particle is a prolate spheroid whose dimensions are ascertained by analyzing frequency shifts of the non-degenerate azimuthal MDRs. The relaxation time for the deformed viscous sphere is used to estimate the polystyrene viscosity and temperature. The study highlights the feasibility of using a temperature-controlled quadrupole ion trap to investigate the coalescence dynamics of viscous microstructures free from the perturbative effects of any solvent or substrate.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Coalescence of levitated polystyrene microspheres
A.J. Trevitt, P.J. Wearne and E.J. Bieske
The slow, laser-induced coalescence of two conjoined, polystyrene spheres levitated in a quadrupole ion trap is investigated by monitoring optical morphology dependent resonances (MDRs) appearing in the fluorescence emission spectrum. The heated bisphere is driven by surface tension to become a single, larger sphere with a volume equal to the combined volumes of the two initial spheres. In the final stage of the structural transformation the particle is a prolate spheroid whose dimensions are ascertained by analyzing frequency shifts of the non-degenerate azimuthal MDRs. The relaxation time for the deformed viscous sphere is used to estimate the polystyrene viscosity and temperature. The study highlights the feasibility of using a temperature-controlled quadrupole ion trap to investigate the coalescence dynamics of viscous microstructures free from the perturbative effects of any solvent or substrate.
The slow, laser-induced coalescence of two conjoined, polystyrene spheres levitated in a quadrupole ion trap is investigated by monitoring optical morphology dependent resonances (MDRs) appearing in the fluorescence emission spectrum. The heated bisphere is driven by surface tension to become a single, larger sphere with a volume equal to the combined volumes of the two initial spheres. In the final stage of the structural transformation the particle is a prolate spheroid whose dimensions are ascertained by analyzing frequency shifts of the non-degenerate azimuthal MDRs. The relaxation time for the deformed viscous sphere is used to estimate the polystyrene viscosity and temperature. The study highlights the feasibility of using a temperature-controlled quadrupole ion trap to investigate the coalescence dynamics of viscous microstructures free from the perturbative effects of any solvent or substrate.
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