Browsing by Subject "Optical forces"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Open Access
Engineering particle trajectories in microfluidic flows using speckle light fields
(SPIE, 2014) Volpe, G.; Volpe, Giovanni; Gigan, S.
Optical tweezers have been widely used in physics, chemistry and biology to manipulate and trap microscopic and nanoscopic objects. Current optical trapping techniques rely on carefully engineered setups to manipulate nanoscopic and microscopic objects at the focus of a laser beam. Since the quality of the trapping is strongly dependent on the focus quality, these systems have to be very carefully aligned and optimized, thus limiting their practical applicability in complex environments. One major challenge for current optical manipulation techniques is the light scattering occurring in optically complex media, such as biological tissues, turbid liquids and rough surfaces, which give rise to apparently random light fields known as speckles. Here, we discuss an experimental implementation to perform optical manipulation based on speckles. In particular, we show how to take advantage of the statistical properties of speckle patterns in order to realize a setup based on a multimode optical fiber to perform basic optical manipulation tasks such as trapping, guiding and sorting. We anticipate that the simplicity of these "speckle optical tweezers" will greatly broaden the perspectives of optical manipulation for real-life applications. © 2014 SPIE.
Open Access
Numerical simulation of Brownian particles in optical force fields
(SPIE, 2013) Volpe, G.; Volpe, Giovanni
Optical forces can affect the motion of a Brownian particle. For example, optical tweezers use optical forces to trap a particle at a desirable position. Using more complex force fields it is possible to generate more complex configurations. For example, by using two optical traps placed next to each other, it is possible to obtain a bistable potential where a particle can jump between the two potentials with a characteristic time scale. In this proceeding, we discuss a simple finite difference algorithm that can be used to simulate the motion of a Brownian particle in a one-dimensional field of optical forces.
Open Access
Numerical simulation of optically trapped particles
(SPIE, 2014) Volpe, G.; Volpe, Giovanni
Some randomness is present in most phenomena, ranging from biomolecules and nanodevices to financial markets and human organizations. However, it is not easy to gain an intuitive understanding of such stochastic phenomena, because their modeling requires advanced mathematical tools, such as sigma algebras, the Itô formula and martingales. Here, we discuss a simple finite difference algorithm that can be used to gain understanding of such complex physical phenomena. In particular, we simulate the motion of an optically trapped particle that is typically used as a model system in statistical physics and has a wide range of applications in physics and biophysics, for example, to measure nanoscopic forces and torques.
Open Access
Optically driven janus microengine with full orbital motion control
(American Chemical Society, 2023-09-20) Bronte Ciriza, D.; Callegari, A.; Donato, M. G.; Çiçek, Berk; Magazzù, A.; Kasianiuk, Iryna; Kasyanyuk, Denis; Schmidt, F.; Foti, A.; Gucciardi, P. G.; Volpe, G.; Lanza, M.; Biancofiore, Luca; Maragò, O. M.
Microengines have shown promise for a variety of applications in nanotechnology, microfluidics, and nanomedicine, including targeted drug delivery, microscale pumping, and environmental remediation. However, achieving precise control over their dynamics remains a significant challenge. In this study, we introduce a microengine that exploits both optical and thermal effects to achieve a high degree of controllability. We find that in the presence of a strongly focused light beam, a gold-silica Janus particle becomes confined at the stationary point where the optical and thermal forces balance. By using circularly polarized light, we can transfer angular momentum to the particle, breaking the symmetry between the two forces and resulting in a tangential force that drives directed orbital motion. We can simultaneously control the velocity and direction of rotation of the particle changing the ellipticity of the incoming light beam while tuning the radius of the orbit with laser power. Our experimental results are validated using a geometrical optics phenomenological model that considers the optical force, the absorption of optical power, and the resulting heating of the particle. The demonstrated enhanced flexibility in the control of microengines opens up new possibilities for their utilization in a wide range of applications, including microscale transport, sensing, and actuation.
Open Access
Simulation of active Brownian particles in optical potentials
(SPIE, 2014) Volpe, G.; Gigan, S.; Volpe, Giovanni
Optical forces can affect the motion of a Brownian particle. For example, optical tweezers use optical forces to trap a particle at a desirable position. Unlike passive Brownian particles, active Brownian particles, also known as microswimmers, propel themselves with directed motion and thus drive themselves out of equilibrium. Understanding their motion in a confined potential can provide insight into out-of-equilibrium phenomena associated with biological examples such as bacteria, as well as with artificial microswimmers. We discuss how to mathematically model their motion in an optical potential using a set of stochastic differential equations and how to numerically simulate it using the corresponding set of finite difference equations.