Abstract
Optical dipole traps are used for trapping and localizing particles in various scientific fields, including classical optics, quantum optics, and biophysics. Here, we propose and implement a dipole trap for nanoparticles that is based on focusing from the full solid angle with a deep parabolic mirror. The key aspect is the generation of a linear-dipole mode, which is predicted to provide a tight trapping potential. We demonstrate the trapping of rod-shaped nanoparticles and validate the trapping frequencies to be of the order of the expected ones. The described realization of an optical trap is applicable for various other kinds of solid-state targets. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility of optical dipole traps that simultaneously provide high trap stiffness and allow for efficient interaction of light and matter in free space.
Highlights
About fifty years ago optical forces have been used for the first time in trapping and localizing particles [1]
The key aspect in the generation of an electricdipole wave is the focusing of a suitably shaped light mode with optics covering the entire solid angle. Such an optical element can be realized with a parabolic mirror (PM) that is much deeper than its focal length [5]
We describe the benefits of an optical dipole trap based upon focusing with a deep PM
Summary
About fifty years ago optical forces have been used for the first time in trapping and localizing particles [1]. Optical traps have become a workhorse in many fields of science, not least in atomic physics, quantum optics and optomechanics In these areas, experiments are typically conducted in the Rayleigh regime, where the size of the trapped particle is much smaller than the wavelength of the trapping beam. The key aspect in the generation of an electricdipole wave is the focusing of a suitably shaped light mode with optics covering the entire solid angle. Such an optical element can be realized with a parabolic mirror (PM) that is much deeper than its focal length [5].
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