Experimental optical trapping of microparticles with an Airy beams array using a Holographic Optical Tweezer

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the experimental use of an Airy beams array in holographic optical tweezers to enhance microparticle trapping and manipulation, leveraging non-diffracting and autofocusing properties for improved stability and control.

Contribution

It introduces a novel holographic optical tweezers system utilizing Airy beams arrays for advanced microparticle trapping and control.

Findings

Gradient and scattering forces can be tuned via launch angles.

Airy beams array provides greater trap stability.

Potential applications in biological and atmospheric sciences.

Abstract

In this work, we present the experimental optical trap of microparticles with an Airy beams array using a holographic optical tweezers. The Airy beams array are attractive for optical manipulation of particles owing to their non--diffracting and autofocusing properties. An Airy beams array is composed of N Airy beams which accelerate mutually and symmetrically in opposite direction, for different ballistic trajectories, that is, with different initial launch angles. Based on this, we developed a holographic optical tweezers system for the generation of non-diffracting beams and with it, we investigate the distribution of optical forces acting on microparticles of an Airy beams array. The results show that the gradient and scattering force of array on microparticles can be controlled through a launch angle parameter of Airy beams. In addition, it's possible to obtain greater stability for optical trap using an Airy beams array, with interesting possibilities for trapping and guiding of microparticles in a controllable way that can be applied in optical, biological and atmospheric sciences.