Reverse orbiting of microparticles in optical vortices.
We report the observation of particles trapped at an air-water surface orbiting in a reverse direction with respect to the orbital angular momentum of the light field. The effect is explained by a combination of asymmetric particle shape and confinement of the particle on the 2D air-water interface. The experiment highlights the strong influence of the particle shape on the momentum transfer, an effect that is often not considered in optical trapping experiments.
Jesacher
A
A
Division for Biomedical Physics, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria. Alexander.Jesacher@i-med.ac.at
Fürhapter
S
S
Maurer
C
C
Bernet
S
S
Ritsch-Marte
M
M