title: Homogenization of a phase-separated droplet in a polymer mixture caused by the dielectric effect of a laser.
abstract: It is found that a micrometer-sized droplet in an aqueous solution of binary polymers [water/polyethylene-glycol (PEG)/dextran] disappears upon irradiation with a focused yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser. The interface of the dextran-rich droplet broadens and disappears, and it reappears upon turning the laser off, whereas the PEG-rich droplet shrinks and disappears. These phenomena are discussed in terms of the free energy by considering the laser-induced dielectric potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyama
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitahata