Collapse of optical binding under secondary irradiation

David L. Andrews, Justo Rodriguez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

When an optically trapped and bound micrometer-sized chain of particles is subjected to a suitably oriented secondary laser beam above a threshold level of intensity, the structure will collapse. The effect arises from modifications to the interparticle energy landscapes owing to the superposition of optically induced potentials. From the theory it also emerges that, for particles separated by near-field distances, optically induced assemblies may be continuously transformed between linear, spherical, and lamellar forms. The results show scope for the optical fabrication of moldable nanoscale structures.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1830-1832
Number of pages3
JournalOptics Letters
Volume33
Issue number16
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Aug 2008

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