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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Radiation pressure makes ellipsoidal particles tumble

B. M. Mihiretie, P. Snabre, J. C. Loudet and B. Pouligny

We report on optical levitation of dielectric particles, of prolate ellipsoidal shape, a few tens of micrometers in length, in a low-aperture laser beam. Ellipsoids of moderate aspect ratio (k < 3) are observed to be trapped on the axis of the laser beam, similarly to simple spheres. Conversely, elongated particles (k > 3) cannot be kept immobile, and rather undergo sustained oscillating motions, comprising both lateral and angular excursions around the beam axis; hence the name "tumble". The observed tumbling motion, a straightforward manifestation of the non-conservative character of radiation pressure forces, is explained through a 2-dimensional ray optics model of the interaction of light with an ellipsoid.

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