Optical Force on a Micro-Sphere by the Laser Beam from a Lensed Optical Fiber Inserted at an Angle

Abstract

Optical forces acting on a micro-sphere were studied to corroborate the single-beam fiber optic trap. Transverse optical force acted to pull the micro-sphere back to the beam axis, but axial force always acted in the direction away from the optical fiber end because the laser beam from optical fiber could not be strongly focused. A stable two-dimensional optical trapping could be obtained by the weakly focused laser beam from the fiber end inserted at an angle.