Abstract
We demonstrate the use of holographic optical tweezers for trapping particles in air, specifically aerosol droplets. We show the trapping and manipulation of arrays of liquid aerosols as well as the controlled coagulation of two or more droplets. We discuss the ability of spatial light modulators to manipulate airborne droplets in real time as well as highlight the difficulties associated with loading and trapping particles in such an environment. We conclude with a discussion of some of the applications of such a technique.
Highlights
Optical manipulation techniques have matured considerably in the 35 years since Ashkin first demonstrated the use of radiation pressure to guide particles [1]
The field was firmly established by the demonstration of the optical tweezers technique by Ashkin et al [2], and these have developed into a tool that is routinely used to probe biological function [3,4], colloidal dynamics [5,6], properties of light beams [7,8], and to facilitate the stable trapping and manipulation of particles at the micron scale in a wide range of disciplines
Almost the entire body of work on optical manipulation is carried out on particles suspended in a liquid medium
Summary
Optical manipulation techniques have matured considerably in the 35 years since Ashkin first demonstrated the use of radiation pressure to guide particles [1]. Almost the entire body of work on optical manipulation is carried out on particles suspended in a liquid medium. This medium acts to damp out the motion of particles as they are trapped and this fact combined with the buoyancy of particles in such samples makes their trapping relatively straightforward. To trap particles in the absence of such a damping medium (such as air) is more difficult and less relevant for studies to date. Ashkin studied the optical levitation of airborne droplets [9] and others have used these techniques to probe the size and composition of aerosols [10,11] but it is only relatively recently that their optical tweezing (that is gradient force trapping) has been demonstrated [12,13]
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