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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Plasmonic Nanoparticle Chain in a Light Field: A Resonant Optical Sail

Silvia Albaladejo, Juan José Sáenz, and Manuel I. Marqués

Optical trapping and driving of small objects has become a topic of increasing interest in multidisciplinary sciences. We propose to use a chain made of metallic nanoparticles as a resonant light sail, attached by one end point to a transparent object and propelling it by the use of electromagnetic radiation. Driving forces exerted on the chain are theoretically studied as a function of radiation’s wavelength and chain’s alignments with respect to the direction of radiation. Interestingly, there is a window in the frequency spectrum in which null–torque equilibrium configuration, with minimum geometric cross section, corresponds to a maximum in the driving force.

DOI

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