Theoretical prediction of photophoretic force on a dielectric sphere illuminated by a circularly symmetric high-order Bessel beam: on-axis case

Light scattering of a uniform uniaxial anisotropic sphere by an on-axis high-order Bessel vortex beam

Analytical solutions to the scattering of a uniform uniaxial anisotropic sphere illuminated by an on-axis high-order Bessel vortex beam (HOBVB) are investigated. Using the vector wave theory, the expansion coefficients of the incident HOBVB in terms of the spherical vector wave functions (SVWFs) are obtained. According to the orthogonality of the associated Legendre function and exponential function, more concise expressions of the expansion coefficients are derived. It can reinterpret the incident HOBVB faster compared with the expansion coefficients of double integral forms. The internal fields of a uniform uniaxial anisotropic sphere are proposed in the integrating form of the SVWFs by introducing the Fourier transform. The differences of scattering characteristics of a uniaxial anisotropic sphere illuminated by a zero-order Bessel beam, Gaussian beam, and HOBVB are exhibited. Influences of the topological charge, conical angle, and particle size parameters on the angle distributions of the radar cross section are analyzed in detail. The scattering and extinction efficiencies varied with the particle radius, conical angle, permeability, and dielectric anisotropy are also discussed. The results provide insights into the scattering and light-matter interactions and may find important applications in optical propagation and optical micromanipulation of biological and anisotropic complex particles.

Longitudinal and transverse photophoretic force on a homogeneous sphere exerted by a Bessel beam with selective polarizations

Predicting the photophoretic force exerted on an optical absorptive particle in a gaseous medium is a challenging problem because the problems of electromagnetic scattering, heat transfer, and gaseous molecule dynamics are involved and coupled with each other. Based on the calculation of the source function distribution inside a homogeneous sphere excited by a Bessel beam using the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory, analytical expressions of the asymmetry vector, which is the key quantity in the calculation of photophoretic force, are given using the adjoint boundary value method. Numerical simulations are performed to analyze the influences of polarization, the half-cone angle, and the beam order of the incident beam, particle size, and absorptivity of the particle on the asymmetry vector for both on-axis and off-axis illuminations. Longitudinal and transverse photophoretic forces on a homogeneous sphere are displayed for the slip-flow regime of gaseous media. The results offer important insights into the working mechanism underpinning the development of heat-mediated optical manipulation techniques and the measurement of the refractive index of particles.

Tunable high-order Bessel-like beam generation based on cross-phase modulation

Nonlinear atomic media are promising substitutes for spatial light modulators (SLMs) owing to the high tunability and fast response. We demonstrate the generation of high-order Bessel-like beam based on cross-phase modulation in ⁸⁵Rb atoms. The atomic medium, whose refractive index is spatially modulated by the focused Gaussian pump beam, acts as a nonlinear focusing lens for the Laguerre-Gaussian probe beam. As a result, the probe beam carries the nonlinear phase shift and is converted into a Bessel-like mode in far-field diffraction. The superior self-healing ability of the generated high-order Bessel-like beam is verified by inserting an obstruction in the beam path, and its high tunability is investigated in terms of the pump beam power and vapor temperature. Furthermore, this novel beam is used in an obstruction-immune rotation sensor to measure the angular velocity. Nonlinear atomic medium as a novel SLM promises considerable application prospects in modulating the light field structure.

Simulation and Experiment of the Trapping Trajectory for Janus Particles in Linearly Polarized Optical Traps

The highly focused laser beam is capable of confining micro-sized particle in its focus. This is widely known as optical trapping. The Janus particle is composed of two hemispheres with different refractive indexes. In a linearly polarized optical trap, the Janus particle tends to align itself to an orientation where the interface of the two hemispheres is parallel to the laser propagation as well as the polarization direction. This enables a controllable approach that rotates the trapped particle with fine accuracy and could be used in partial measurement. However, due to the complexity of the interaction of the optical field and refractive index distribution, the trapping trajectory of the Janus particle in the linearly polarized optical trap is still uncovered. In this paper, we focus on the dynamic trapping process and the steady position and orientation of the Janus particle in the optical trap from both simulation and experimental aspects. The trapping process recorded by a high speed camera coincides with the simulation result calculated using the T-matrix model, which not only reveals the trapping trajectory, but also provides a practical simulation solution for more complicated structures and trapping motions.

Optical Force and Torque on a Graphene-Coated Gold Nanosphere by a Vector Bessel Beam

In the framework of the generalized Lorenz–Mie theory (GLMT), the optical force and torque on a graphene-coated gold nanosphere by a vector Bessel beam are investigated. The core of the particle is gold, whose dielectric function is given by the Drude–Sommerfeld model, and the coating is multilayer graphene with layer number N, whose dielectric function is described by the Lorentz–Drude model. The axial optical force Fz and torque Tz are numerically analyzed, and the effects of the layer number N, wavelength λ, and beam parameters (half-cone angle α0, polarization, and order l) are mainly discussed. Numerical results show that the optical force and torque peaks can be adjusted by increasing the thickness of the graphene coating, and can not be adjusted by changing α0 and l. However, α0 and l can change the magnitude of the optical force and torque. The numerical results have potential applications involving the trapped graphene-coated gold nanosphere.

Optical Magnus effect in the photophoresis of a spinning absorptive dielectric circular cylinder

When a stationary absorptive dielectric cylinder suspended in a gas (such as air) is illuminated by an axisymmetric wave field (such as plane waves), the transverse (T) photophoretic asymmetry factor (PAF) vanishes as required by geometrical symmetry [Appl. Opt.60, 7937 (2021) APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.435306]. Counter-intuitively, when the cylinder possesses an initial angular velocity Ω₀ with a sufficiently small acceleration and spins around its main axis in the illuminating field of axisymmetric plane waves, it is shown here that the T-PAF (which is directly proportional to the T-photophoretic force vector component) is quantifiable, in analogy with the Magnus effect in hydrodynamics where a force perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder and to the propagation direction arises. Based upon the instantaneous rest-frame theory and the partial-wave series expansion method in cylindrical coordinates, the internal electric field of the spinning absorptive dielectric cylinder is determined and utilized to compute both the longitudinal (L) and T-PAFs. Particular emphases are given on the size parameter of the cylinder, its angular rotation, the light absorption inside its core material and the polarization (TM or TE) of the incident plane waves. The dimensionless intensity function (DIF) is also computed, which reveals quantitative information on the heated portions within the internal absorptive core material of the cylinder. Numerical computations illustrate the analysis and explicate the behaviors of the DIF and the L- and T-PAFs, which predict the emergence of the forward, neutral, and reverse optical/electromagnetic Magnus effect in the photophoresis of an absorptive dielectric cylinder and related applications in spin optics, optical tweezers, optical manipulation of elongated objects, and radiative transfer research.