title: Using a slightly tapered optical fiber to attract and transport microparticles.
abstract: We exploit a fiber puller to transform a telecom single-mode optical fiber with a 125 microm diameter into a symmetric and unbroken slightly tapered optical fiber with a 50 microm diameter at the minimum waist. When the laser light is launched into the optical fiber, we can observe that, due to the evanescent wave of the slightly tapered fiber, the nearby polystyrene microparticles with 10 microm diameters will be attracted onto the fiber surface and roll separately in the direction of light propagation. We have also simulated and compared the optical propulsion effects on the microparticles when the laser light is launched into a slightly tapered fiber and a heavily tapered (subwavelength) fiber, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 60004, Taiwan. fwsheu@mail.ncyu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Fang-Wen
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Sheu
authors.forename: Hong-Yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Sy-Hann
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008863:Microspheres; D052898:Optical Tweezers