Opto-thermophoretic trapping of micro and nanoparticles with a 2 µm Tm-doped fiber laser.

Abstract

We propose a method for opto-thermophoretic trapping with a 2 µm Tm-doped fiber laser. The infrared continuous-wave laser beam is directly and strongly absorbed by water solution, and some local temperature gradient is generated around a focus. The particles are migrated along the temperature gradient, and form a hexagonal close-packed structure at a bottom-glass solution interface. On the other hand, the particles are not trapped in heavy water which does not absorb 2 µm light. The fact indicates that the local temperature elevation is the origin of this phenomenon. We have investigated the dependence of the phenomenon on the material, particle size, and laser power. To the best of our knowledge, 2 µm is the longest wavelength used for the opto-thermophoretic trapping.