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Controlled transfer of transverse orbital angular momentum to optically trapped birefringent microparticles

Nature Photonics volume 16, pages 346–351 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

The interaction between structured light beams possessing optical angular momentum and small particles promises new opportunities for optical manipulation, such as the generation of light-induced torque and rotation of objects. However, so far, studies have largely centred on nanoscale particles. Here we report the observation and measurement of the transfer of transverse angular momentum to birefringent spherical vaterite particles several wavelengths in size. We outline the physics behind the beam used to control the particles, perform quantitative measurements of the transverse spin angular momentum transfer and demonstrate the generation of fluid flow around multiple rotation axes. The findings show that light can impart controllable rotational degrees of freedom to microparticles. In the future, the approach may prove useful for investigating the dynamics of complex fluids in three dimensions, studying the shear force on cell monolayers or cooling an optically trapped particle to the quantum ground state.

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Fig. 1: Illustration of a particle undergoing transverse rotation in a structured beam.
Fig. 2: Transverse angular momentum transfer to a vaterite particle and the field that was simulated to achieve this.
Fig. 3: Comparison of spin angular momentum determined from simulation and experiment.
Fig. 4: Small particles driven around a larger vaterite particle undergoing transverse spinning.

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All practically distributable raw and processed data (such as images, signal traces and tracked positions) are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

A.B.S., H.R.-D. and T.A.N. acknowledge financial support from the Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP180101002. A.B.S. and H.R.-D. acknowledge support from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS, CE170100009). A.B.S. also thanks C. Wu for suggesting improvements to Fig. 1.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Alexander B. Stilgoe, Timo A. Nieminen & Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop

  2. School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Alexander B. Stilgoe, Timo A. Nieminen & Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop

Authors
  1. Alexander B. Stilgoe
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  2. Timo A. Nieminen
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  3. Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
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Contributions

A.B.S. and H.R.-D. conceived the investigation. A.B.S. designed the experiment and simulations, as well as collected and analysed the data. A.B.S., H.R.-D. and T.A.N. composed and edited the manuscript. A.B.S. composed the supplementary information.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Alexander B. Stilgoe, Timo A. Nieminen or Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Photonics thanks Philip Jones and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figs. 1–9 and Sections 1–4.

Supplementary Video 1

Demonstration of transverse rotation of a vaterite particle.

Supplementary Video 2

Simulation of vaterite particle motion.

Supplementary Video 3

Cross-polarizer video of a rotating vaterite particle.

Supplementary Video 4

Simulation of light observed in the Stokes measurement.

Supplementary Video 5

Observation of transverse rotation in a deformed vaterite particle.

Supplementary Video 6

Transverse rotation and orbiting of a vaterite particle.

Supplementary Video 7

Alternate axis of transverse rotation.

Supplementary Video 8

Alternate axis of transverse rotation.

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Stilgoe, A.B., Nieminen, T.A. & Rubinsztein-Dunlop, H. Controlled transfer of transverse orbital angular momentum to optically trapped birefringent microparticles. Nat. Photon. 16, 346–351 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-022-00983-3

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