Gradient force evolution of Gaussian beam induced by a phase plate

Abstract

The evolution of gradient force pattern induced by an annular phase distribution plate is numerically investigated in this paper. The phase plate, which may alter the wavefront phase of incident Gaussian beam with tunable topological charge, consists of two concentric portions, one center circle portion and one annular portion. Numerical simulations show that the proposed plate can induce the tunable gradient force on the particles in the focal region. By adjusting the geometrical parameters or changing the topological charge of the phase-shifting plate, some novel trap patterns may occur, such as triangle shape trap, quadrangle shape trap, pentagon shape trap, hexagon shape trap, and the shapes of optical traps change very considerably. Therefore, the phase plate may be very advantageous for constructing tunable optical traps. The method is more versatile in that it allows precise control of the parameters and has the possibility of generating specific patterns of optical vortices. The gradient force pattern focal of intensity distribution depends on both the annular width and the topological charge.