Observation of trapping and transporting air-borne absorbing particles with a single optical beam

Ze Zhang, Drake Cannan, Jingjiao Liu, Peng Zhang, Demetrios N. Christodoulides, and Zhigang Chen

We demonstrate optical trapping and manipulation of micron-sized absorbing air-borne particles with a single focused Gaussian beam. Transportation of trapped nonspherical particles from one beam to another is realized, and the underlying mechanism for the trapping is discussed by considering the combined action of several forces. By employing a specially-designed optical bottle beam, we observe stable trapping and optical transportation of light-absorbing particles from one container to another that is less susceptible to ambient perturbation.

DOI