Chiral forces in longitudinally invariant dielectric photonic waveguides

Abstract

We calculate numerically the optical chiral forces in rectangular cross-section dielectric waveguides for potential enantiomer separation. Our study considers force strength and time needed for separating chiral nanoparticles, mainly via quasi-TE guided modes at short wavelengths (405 nm) and the 90°-phase-shifted combination of quasi-TE and quasi-TM modes at longer wavelengths (1310 nm). Particle tracking simulations show successful enantiomer separation within two seconds. These results suggest the feasibility of enantiomeric separation of nanoparticles displaying sufficient chirality using simple silicon photonic integrated circuits, with wavelength selection based on the nanoparticle size.