Effect of nanoscale roughness on optical trapping properties of surface plasmon polaritons exerted on nanoparticle

Abstract

Based on the three-dimensional dispersive finite difference time domain method and Maxwell stress tensor equation, the effect of nanoscale surface roughness on the optical trapping properties of nanoparticle in a vicinity of the composite gold film with periodic structure is investigated numerically. The periodic structure is observed as circular holes which can excite the surface plasmon polaritons on the metal-dielectric interface with particular emphasis on its crucial role in tailoring the optical force acting on a nearby nanoparticle. Utilizing the Monte-Carlo method, the surface roughness is added into the calculation model of the proposed method to accurately investigate the optical performance of the film-tuned nanoparticle system. Selected calculations on the effects of root mean square height and correlation length of rough surface are analyzed in detail to demonstrate that the negative effect of the surface roughness on the optical trapping force can be eliminated when the ratio of correlation length to root mean square height is equal to 10. Accurate investigation of optical trapping properties of nanoparticle in a vicinity of the composite gold film could provide guidelines for further research on the optical system design and manipulation of arbitrary composite nanoparticles.