Plasmonic Nanostructures as Accelerators for Nanoparticles: Optical Nanocannon

Abstract

We suggest a model of an optical structure that allows to accelerate nanoparticles to velocities on the order of tens of centimeters per second using low-intensity external optical fields. The nano-accelerator system employs metallic V-grooves which concentrate the electric field in the vicinity of their bottoms and creates large optical gradient forces for the nanoparticles in that groove. The conditions are found when this optical force tends to eject particles away from the groove.