Particle Trapping Research Articles

Image-Current Mediated Sympathetic Laser Cooling of a Single Proton in a Penning Trap Down to 170mK Axial Temperature.

We demonstrate a new temperature record for image-current mediated sympathetic cooling of a single proton in a cryogenic Penning trap by laser-cooled ^{9}Be^{+}. An axial mode temperature of 170mK is reached, which is a 15-fold improvement compared to the previous best value. Our cooling technique is applicable to any charged particle, so that the measurements presented here constitute a milestone toward the next generation of high-precision Penning-trap measurements with exotic particles.

Generation of Arbitrarily Programmable Vector Vortex Beams Based on Spin‐Independent Metasurface

AbstractVectorial structured beam, which possesses diverse inhomogeneous spatial field distributions, has been developed into an advanced technology for particle trapping, optical communication, and quantum information. However, most of the related studies are based on static devices that can only generate structured light with fixed field distributions. To break through this restriction, the study proposes and experimentally demonstrates a reflection‐type spin‐independent programmable metasurface (SIPM) that can generate arbitrary vector vortex beams (VVBs) dynamically in microwave frequencies. By controlling the working states of loaded positive‐intrinsic‐negative (PIN) diodes, the metasurface can realize real‐time and spin‐independent manipulations of amplitude and phase of the reflected waves. Therefore, any desired VVBs can be achieved by dynamically controlling the superimposition of left‐ and right‐handed reflected circularly polarized vortexes. The proposed SIPM exhibits powerful abilities in modulating the vectorial structured beams in the microwave band, and may bring potential technological innovations for the future spintronics, imaging display, optical computing, and wireless communications.

Plasmonic trimers designed as SERS-active chemical traps for subtyping of lung tumors

Plasmonic materials can generate strong electromagnetic fields to boost the Raman scattering of surrounding molecules, known as surface-enhanced Raman scattering. However, these electromagnetic fields are heterogeneous, with only molecules located at the ‘hotspots’, which account for ≈ 1% of the surface area, experiencing efficient enhancement. Herein, we propose patterned plasmonic trimers, consisting of a pair of plasmonic dimers at the bilateral sides and a trap particle positioned in between, to address this challenge. The trimer configuration selectively directs probe molecules to the central traps where ‘hotspots’ are located through chemical affinity, ensuring a precise spatial overlap between the probes and the location of maximum field enhancement. We investigate the Raman enhancement of the Au@Al2O3-Au-Au@Al2O3 trimers, achieving a detection limit of 10−14 M of 4-methylbenzenethiol, 4-mercaptopyridine, and 4-aminothiophenol. Moreover, single-molecule SERS sensitivity is demonstrated by a bi-analyte method. Benefiting from this sensitivity, our approach is employed for the early detection of lung tumors using fresh tissues. Our findings suggest that this approach is sensitive to adenocarcinoma but not to squamous carcinoma or benign cases, offering insights into the differentiation between lung tumor subtypes.

Paraxial propagation characteristics of a controllable anomalous hollow vortex beam in free space

Propagation of a recently proposed controllable anomalous hollow vortex (CAHV) beam is investigated. Based on the integral formula of generalized Huygens–Fresnel diffraction, analytical expression for the CAHV beam through a paraxial ABCD optical system is derived. The factors that affect the intensity pattern are determined by the beam’s controllable parameters a, c x, c y, and the topological charge m. Results show that the Gaussian distribution features are controlled by parameter a, and the horizontal and vertical stretching deformations of the beam are adjusted by parameters c x and c y, respectively. For a controllable anomalous hollow (CAH) beam, when propagating in free space, it could initially maintain anomalous hollow property and the size of the spot increases with the increase of the propagation distance. Due to the CAHV beam carries the optical vortex, a dark hollow channel appears in the center of the beam during propagation, and the channel structure changes with the increase of topological charge. Additionally, the Poynting vector of CAHV beam proves the direction of energy flow corresponding to the intensity distribution. Results obtained in this paper could have potential applications in particle trapping and optical control.

Supersonic coaxial aerodynamic atomization dust removal technology

The high concentration of respirable dust pollution created during coal mining has long been known to be harmful to employee health. A water absorbing atomization device has certain advantages when spray trapping particle sizes of PM2.5–10. To further improve the PM0–2.5 trapping efficiency, supersonic coaxial pneumatic atomization dust removal technology has been developed. The effects of fog droplet characteristics on the instantaneous diffusion of dust were studied by numerical simulation and macro- and microexperiments for the first time, and the coupling characteristics of fog droplets and dust fields were obtained. The results show that with increasing aerodynamic pressure, the supersonic range extends along the axis toward the nozzle outlet, and the average velocity in the tube increases. Under different pressures, the droplet particle size in the supersonic coaxial atomizing nozzle is <6 μm and decreases with increasing aerodynamic pressure. When a droplet effuses from the nozzle, the transonic distribution of the flow field causes the droplet velocity to increase first and then decrease under the drag force. The droplet field characteristic distribution of supersonic coaxial atomization is determined by droplet evaporation, condensation, and migration. Under the same pressure, with increasing spray distance, the distribution of the droplet particle size increases in a stepwise manner, and the droplet velocity decreases according to an exponential function so that the droplet field produces a high-speed fine fog area. The range of droplets with higher velocities and smaller particle sizes is mainly influenced by migration and increases with increasing pressure. The coupling effect droplet field and dust field can be characterized by the instantaneous dispersion of dust and are determined by the distribution characteristics of the fog droplet field. The large range of high-speed fine fog produced by supersonic coaxial atomization technology easily traps respirable dust, and the classification efficiency of PM0–2.5 reaches 90%. In this study, a new dynamic microfog dust trapping technique was proposed, and a new method of instantaneous sampling combined with a microscopic dispersion test was adopted to characterize the temporal and spatial distributions of dust fields affected by fog droplet fields, reveal the generation of dynamic microfog and the mechanism of dust trapping, enrich the theory of fine dust trapping, and provide technical support for the safe production and utilization of coal.

Volumetric Measurement Of The Acoustically Induced Fluid Flow In A Micro Chamber With A Two-Dimensional Standing Surface Acoustic Wave Field

The non-invasive, contactless and label-free trapping and patterning of individual cells with acoustic tweezers is a key technology to reliably analyze single cells and cell-cell interactions in biological applications. By using two-dimensional standing surface acoustic waves (2DsSAW), the precise manipulation of the cells in a micro chamber is primarily governed by the acoustic radiation force, which acts directly on the cells due to scattering effects of the acoustic waves. However, a fluid flow of three-dimensional nature is concurrently induced acoustically, which additionally influences the cell pattern by Stokes' drag. In this study, we shed light on the complex acoustically induced fluid flow forming in an acoustic tweezer by 3D3C velocity measurements using the astigmatism particle tracking velocimetry (APTV). Vortex structures above the antinodes of the 2DsSAW field were revealed. The fluid flow converge and diverge in the vicinity of the chamber bottom and ceiling, respectively. Hence, the fluid flow influences the stable trapping locations of cells or particles in different ways depending on their height position, which might explain the recently reported formation of various particle patterns at different height levels. Moreover, the experimental findings are used to validate a three-dimensional numerical model. The numerical model provides deep insights into the underlying acoustic fields responsible for the formation of the fluid flow and acoustic radiation force. By combining the experimental and numerical results, a profound understanding of the physical mechanisms for cell or particle trapping and patterning is established.

Microscale Diffractive Lenses Integrated into Microfluidic Devices for Size-Selective Optical Trapping of Particles.

Integration of optical components into microfluidic devices can enhance particle manipulations, separations, and analyses. We present a method to fabricate microscale diffractive lenses composed of aperiodically spaced concentric rings milled into a thin metal film to precisely position optical tweezers within microfluidic channels. Integrated thin-film microlenses perform the laser focusing required to generate sufficient optical forces to trap particles without significant off-device beam manipulation. Moreover, the ability to trap particles with unfocused laser light allows multiple optical traps to be powered simultaneously by a single input laser. We have optically trapped polystyrene particles with diameters of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 μm over microlenses fabricated in chromium and gold films. Optical forces generated by these microlenses captured particles traveling at fluid velocities up to 64 μm/s. Quantitative trapping experiments with particles in microfluidic flow demonstrate size-based differential trapping of neutrally buoyant particles where larger particles required a stronger trapping force. The optical forces on these particles are identical to traditional optical traps, but the addition of a continuous viscous drag force from the microfluidic flow introduces tunable size selectivity across a range of laser powers and fluid velocities.

Photon-efficient optical tweezers via wavefront shaping.

Optical tweezers enable noncontact trapping of microscale objects using light. It is not known how tightly it is possible to three-dimensionally (3D) trap microparticles with a given photon budget. Reaching this elusive limit would enable maximally stiff particle trapping for precision measurements on the nanoscale and photon-efficient tweezing of light-sensitive objects. Here, we customize the shape of light fields to suit specific particles, with the aim of optimizing trapping stiffness in 3D. We show, theoretically, that the confinement volume of microspheres held in sculpted optical traps can be reduced by one to two orders of magnitude. Experimentally, we use a wavefront shaping-inspired strategy to passively suppress the Brownian fluctuations of microspheres in every direction concurrently, demonstrating order-of-magnitude reductions in their confinement volumes. Our work paves the way toward the fundamental limits of optical control over the mesoscopic realm.

Optical trapping of nanoparticles using all-dielectric quasi-bound states in the continuum

Plasmonic nanotweezers employing metallic nanostrctures provide a powerful tool for optical trapping of nanoscale objects; however, they are limited by strong heating effects resulting from the intrinsic loss in metallic materials. Alternatively, quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BICs), supported in all-dielectric metasurfaces, offer a higher quality-factor (Q-factor) and electric field enhancement compared to plasmonic systems, making it a promising candidate for heatless nanotweezers with high performance. Here, we demonstrate an all-dielectric nanotweezer harnessing q-BIC for effective trapping of nanoparticles with low trapping power and negligible heating effects. The quasi-BIC system provides very high electromagnetic field intensity enhancement as well as high-quality-factor resonances. The q-BIC mode is induced by symmetry breaking of periodic double ring nanostructure, which leads to an increased optical force and potential energy in comparison to prior studies, enabling attractive promise in subwavelength particle trapping applications. Moreover, the q-BIC nanotweezer creates numerous optical hotspots characterized by significant field confinement and enhancement, generating multiple trapping sites and thus facilitating high-throughput trapping of nanoscale objects. Furthermore, the trapping wavelength (1047.59 nm) in our structure exactly corresponds with the current laser choice for working with biological samples. In addition, we show that trapped particles can improve the resonance mode of the cavity in a symmetry-broken system, which in turn enhances the trapping process. Our study paves the way for applying q-BIC systems to low-power particle trapping and sensing applications, especially for parallel analyses of biological cells and protein molecules.

Parker Solar Probe Observations of Energetic Particles in the Flank of a Coronal Mass Ejection Close to the Sun

We present an event observed by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) at ∼0.2 au on 2022 March 2 in which imaging and in situ measurements coincide. During this event, PSP passed through structures on the flank of a streamer blowout coronal mass ejection (CME) including an isolated flux tube in front of the CME, a turbulent sheath, and the CME itself. Imaging observations and in situ helicity and principal variance signatures consistently show the presence of flux ropes internal to the CME. In both the sheath and the CME interval, the distributions are more isotropic, the spectra are softer, and the abundance ratios of Fe/O and He/H are lower than those in the isolated flux tube, and yet elevated relative to typical plasma and solar energetic particle abundances. These signatures in the sheath and the CME indicate that both flare populations and those from the plasma are accelerated to form the observed energetic particle enhancements. In contrast, the isolated flux tube shows large streaming, hard spectra, and large Fe/O and He/H ratios, indicating flare sources. Energetic particle fluxes are most enhanced within the CME interval from suprathermal through energetic particle energies (∼keV to >10 MeV), indicating particle acceleration, as well as confinement local to the closed magnetic structure. The flux-rope morphology of the CME helps to enable local modulation and trapping of energetic particles, in particular along helicity channels and other plasma boundaries. Thus, the CME acts to build up energetic particle populations, allowing them to be fed into subsequent higher-energy particle acceleration throughout the inner heliosphere where a compression or shock forms on the CME front.

Exact moments for trapped active particles: inertial impact on steady-state properties and re-entrance

In this study, we investigate the behavior of inertial active Brownian particles in a d-dimensional harmonic trap in the presence of translational diffusion. While the solution of the Fokker–Planck equation is generally challenging, it can be utilized to compute the exact time evolution of all time-dependent dynamical moments using a Laplace transform approach. We present the explicit form for several moments of position and velocity in d-dimensions. An interplay of time scales assures that the effective diffusivity and steady-state kinetic temperature depend on both inertia and trap strength, unlike passive systems. The distance from equilibrium, measured by the violation of equilibrium fluctuation-dissipation and the amount of entropy production, decreases with increasing inertia and trap strength. We present detailed ‘phase diagrams’ using kurtosis of velocity and position, showing possibilities of re-entrance to equilibrium.

Time-resolved analysis of Ar metastable and electron populations in low-pressure misty plasma processes using optical emission spectroscopy

Misty plasmas have recently emerged as a promising tool for nanocomposite thin films deposition. However, aerosol-plasma interactions remain poorly documented, especially at low working pressure. In this work, optical emission spectroscopy is used to probe the temporal evolution of three fundamental plasma parameters during pulsed liquid injection in an inductively coupled argon plasma at low-pressure. Time-resolved values of metastable argon density, electron temperature, and electron density are determined from radiation trapping analysis and particle balance equations of selected argon 1s and 2p levels. Pulsed liquid injection is found to induce a sudden drop in metastable density and electron temperature, and an increase in electron density. These results are attributed to the lower ionization thresholds of the injected molecular species compared to the one of argon. In addition, upstream liquid temperature is found to affect the transitory kinetics for non-volatile solvents more than volatile ones, in accordance with a previously reported flash boiling atomization mechanism.

Characteristics of radiation belt energetic protons and the movement of their core location in response to geomagnetic disturbances

The energetic protons trapped within the Earth's radiation belt play a crucial role in substantially impacting the behavior of the ring current, which in turn affects the dynamics of energetic particles. Here, we statistically analyze and discuss the global distributions and temporal evolutions of them at energies from 55 keV to 489 keV by using 7-year (2012–2019) observations by radiation belt storm probes ion composition experiment onboard Van Allen Probes. The observations show that low-energy protons (55–148 keV) are distributed at higher L shells (L &amp;gt; 4), which can deeply penetrate during intense storms. The high-energy protons (221–489 keV) are mainly located at L &amp;lt; 4.5 and are comparably stable. Moreover, the core location (i.e., Lc, the L shell with the peak flux) of them is typically energy-dependent and can be displaced due to geomagnetic storms. Detailed analysis reveals that the Lc for low-energy protons is primarily outside the plasmapause location (Lpp), which can rapidly radially move. However, the Lc for high-energy protons is essentially inside Lpp and is harder to move. The Lc for intermediate-energy protons exhibits fluctuations around Lpp, indicating a clear competition between source and loss processes. In addition, alternative mechanisms, such as wave–particle interactions, are primarily responsible for the gradual variation of them after storms. Our study provides the total configuration of the radiation belt energetic protons measured in the Van Allen Probe era, which would be useful for better understanding the variation of trapped particles in the inner magnetosphere.

Characterizing Acoustic Behavior of Silicon Microchannels Separated by a Porous Wall.

Lateral flow membrane microdevices are widely used for chromatographic separation processes and diagnostics. The separation performance of microfluidic lateral membrane devices is determined by mass transfer limitations in the membrane, and in the liquid phase, mass transfer resistance is dependent on the channel dimensions and transport properties of the species separated by the membrane. We present a novel approach based on an active bulk acoustic wave (BAW) mixing method to enhance lateral transport in micromachined silicon devices. BAWs have been previously applied in channels for mixing and trapping cells and particles in single channels, but this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first instance of their application in membrane devices. Our findings demonstrate that optimal resonance is achieved with minimal influence of the pore configuration on the average lateral flow. This has practical implications for the design of microfluidic devices, as the channels connected through porous walls under the acoustic streaming act as 760 µm-wide channels rather than two 375 µm-wide channels in the context of matching the standing pressure wave criteria of the piezoelectric transducer. However, the roughness of the microchannel walls does seem to play a significant role in mixing. A roughened (black silicon) wall results in a threefold increase in average streaming flow in BAW mode, suggesting potential avenues for further optimization.

Application of Turbiscan Lab® to study the mechanism of fining in red wine using a specific yeast protein extract: A comparison with gelatine

Fining of wines using proteins is a standard practice in the winemaking process. Gelatine is a common fining agent used for red wines. However, the consumer demand for wines that are free of animal-derived products has reinforced the search for alternative protein sources such as yeast origin as the latter is originally present in wine. In 2012, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) authorized yeast protein extract (YPE) as a processing aid for the fining of musts and wines (OIV-Eno 452–2012). The present work aimed at better understanding the fining mechanisms of a specific YPE, to evaluate the part played by interactions in solution with polyphenols, but also at the interfaces with suspended particles. Polyphenols from the soluble phase of red wine were separated from the suspended particles by centrifugation, and these particles were resuspended in a wine model solution. Interactions with YPE were studied with each fraction separately through static multiple light scattering (SMLS) using the Turbiscan Lab® apparatus and optical microscopy. The impact on wine color and astringency was assessed by UV–visible spectrophotometry and BSA assay test. Faster aggregation and sedimentation kinetics were observed with gelatine than with YPE, but the levels of clarification and lees were similar for both fining agents after a couple of hours (4 h maximum). Gelatine resulted in higher tannin and pigment removal, likely to decrease astringency but also derived pigments involved in red wine color stability. Meanwhile, the impact of the YPE was moderate, likely to modulate astringency while preserving wine color and structure. In addition to interacting directly with polyphenols in solutions such as gelatine, YPE exhibited the additional ability to trap particles and promote their sedimentation in the absence of tannins. This double performance of the YPE used in this work, is likely to guarantee an effective fining of red wines as well as for low tannin content matrices such as rosé and white wines.

Dynamical characteristics of tightly focused flat-topped double vortex beam for enhanced optical manipulation

The Flat-topped Vortex (FTV) beam has shown remarkable utility in a diverse range of industrial procedures, primarily attributed to its central intensity plateau. Nevertheless, the substantial potential of the FTV beam in particle trapping and manipulation has been largely underappreciated. In this work, we conducted the first study on the focusing properties and dynamic characteristics of the Flat-topped double vortex (FTDV) beam under different polarization for the absorption of Rayleigh particles. Through superimposing linearly two FTV beams with equal but opposite topological charges, the FTDV beam emerged naturally. Moreover, a comprehensive numerical analysis was subsequently performed to decode the interactions between the focusing field of the FTDV beam and Rayleigh particles. The analysis demonstrated that the focusing field of FTDV beam can perform multi-particle capture and effectively manipulate particles by modulating the topological charge |m|, the flatness order n, and the polarization state of the FTDV. Furthermore, a comparison between the focusing field of FTDV beam with that of vector vortex (VV) beam revealed that the FTDV beam was capable to generate spin angular momentum (SAM) density and spin torque at least an order of magnitude higher. These findings highlight the superior capabilities of FTDV beam in optical manipulation, and provide essential theoretical support for its utilization in particle capture and management.

Characteristic times for radiation belt drift phase mixing

Impulsive radial transport events occurring in the radiation belts leave lasting marks in the form of drift echoes, that is, energy-dependent drift phase structures in the radiation belts that evolve at the drift frequency. Drift echoes are known to be transient structures that dissipate due to phase mixing. The objective of this paper is to discuss how much time it takes for drift echoes to dissipate, and what drives this phase-mixing process. While any uncertainty or perturbation in the variables controlling trapped particles’ drift frequency contributes to phase mixing, we highlight two main drivers: the observational uncertainty associated with the finite size of the instrument energy channels, and the natural field fluctuations driving perturbations in trapped particles’ drift frequency. It is the combination of both instrumental and natural sources of phase mixing that determines the observed dissipation and lifetime of drift echoes. This means that the observed magnitude and lifetime of a drift echo are always underestimations of the natural magnitude and lifetime of the structure. This calls into question the applicability of the standard, drift-averaged formulation of radial diffusion. The three key points of the study are the following: First, the time it takes for particles initially localized in local time to phase-mix is measured in hours in the Earth’s radiation belts. Second, phase mixing at the drift scale is primarily due to uncertainties in measured kinetic energy and field perturbations. Third, our analysis can be utilized to set an energy resolution requirement for future particle instruments.

Tailoring aberration-free photonic nanojets through the illumination of dielectric cylinders using cylindrical vector beams.

This study explores the manipulation of photonic nanojets (PNJs) via axial illumination of cylindrical dielectric particles with cylindrical vector beams (CVBs). The edge diffraction effect of cylindrical particles is harnessed to achieve the near-field focusing of CVBs, minimizing the spherical aberration's impact on the quality of the PNJ. By discussing how beam width, refractive index, and particle length affect PNJs under radially polarized incidence, a simple and effective approach is demonstrated to generate rod-like PNJs with uniform transmission distances and super-diffraction-limited PNJs with pure longitudinal polarization. Azimuthal polarization, on the other hand, generates tube-like PNJs. These PNJs maintain their performance across scale. Combining edge diffraction with CVBs offers innovative PNJ modulation schemes, paving the way for potential applications in particle trapping, super-resolution imaging, photo-lithography, and advancing mesotronics and related fields.

Rotation of liquid crystal microdroplets in the intensity minima of an optical vortex beam.

An optical vortex is characterized by its donut-shaped intensity distribution and helical phase structure. In this study, we demonstrate that an optical vortex beam, generated by a spatial light modulator, can trap, circulate, and rotate liquid crystal microdroplets of various sizes at different positions within the beam. Our findings indicate that larger microdroplets are trapped at intensity minima without altering their internal liquid crystal orientation, which is fluid by nature, and the rotation of microdroplets were observed. This rotation, a rare phenomenon, occurs without damaging or altering the inner liquid crystal molecules, offering an advantage over traditional circularly polarized optical trapping, which can generally alter inner molecular arrangements of liquid crystal. This report details the relationship between trapped particle size, trapping position, and rotation angle of liquid crystal microdroplets within an optical vortex beam.

Surgical Management of Allergic Rhinitis

The inferior turbinate is composed of a central bony structure surrounded by ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium. Underneath the epithelium, there are mucous glands, goblet cells and venous sinusoids in the submucosa, The inferior turbinate is supplied by the inferior turbinate branch of the posterior lateral nasal artery from the sphenopalatine artery. The inferior turbinates humidify the air, trap particles and direct airflow throughout the nasal cavity. Due to these functions, the inferior turbinates are often the first point of contact for allergens in the inspired air. With immune responses prompted by a cascade of inflammatory mediators such as immunoglobulin E, mast cells, histamine, and leukotrienes, mucous glands become stimulated and the vasculature within the inferior turbinate engorges. This results in inferior turbinate hypertrophy, leading to increased nasal discharge and nasal obstruction. For individuals refractory to medical therapy for nasal obstruction, surgical inferior turbinate reduction techniques can be employed to help alleviate the symptoms. For those with rhinorrhea refractory to medical therapy, surgical management aimed at reducing parasympathetic innervation to the nasal cavity to reduce nasal discharge production can be also option.