Robust trapping and manipulation of airborne particles with a bottle beam

• DOI: 10.1364/oe.19.017350
• Publication Date: 2011-08-18T20:16:26Z
• Authors: Vladlen G. Shvedov; Cyril Hnatovsky; Andrei V. Rode; Wieslaw Krolikowski
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology

We demonstrate that micron-sized light-absorbing particles can be trapped and transported photophoretically in air using an optical bottle formed inside the focal volume of a lens with a controlled amount of spherical aberration. This optical fiber-based single beam trap can be used in numerous applications where true 3D manipulation and delivery of airborne micro-objects is required.