# Towards an optofluidic pump?

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel optofluidic diaphragm pump that uses optical radiation pressure to induce vibrations in a soap film, offering a mechanically actuated alternative to heat-based methods for microfluidic applications.

## Contribution

It demonstrates a new optofluidic pumping mechanism based on radiation pressure, with potential advantages for delicate micro- and biological systems.

## Key findings

- Pump operation at resonance with low power laser
- Film lifetime varies with laser power, from 56s to 2s
- Mechanically actuated pump suitable for sensitive environments

## Abstract

Most of the vibrating mechanisms of optofluidicsystems are based on local heating of membranes that in-duces liquid flow. We report here a new type of diaphragmpump in a liquid film based on the optical radiation pres-sure force. We modulate a low power laser that gener-ates, at resonance, a symmetric vibration of a free standingsoap film. The film lifetime strongly varies from 56 s at lowpower (2 mW) to 2 s at higher power (70 mW). Since thelaser beam only acts mechanically on the interfaces, sucha pump could be easily implemented on delicate micro-equipment on chips or in biological systems.