We describe results of measurements of the orientational motion of glass microrods in a microchannel flow, following the orientational motion of particles with different shapes. We determine how the orientational dynamics depends on the shape of the particle and on its initial orientation. We find that the dynamics depends so sensitively on the degree to which particle axisymmetry is broken that it is difficult to find particles that are sufficiently axisymmetric so that they exhibit periodic tumbling ("Jeffery orbits"). The results of our measurements confirm earlier theoretical analysis predicting sensitive dependence on particle shape and its initial orientation. Our results illustrate the different types of orientational dynamics for asymmetric particles predicted by theory.Comment: (a) These authors contributed equally to this work. 17 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, supplementary online materia

We report experimental observations of the mechanical effects of light on ellipsoidal micrometre-sized dielectric particles, in water as the continuous medium. The particles, made of polystyrene, have shapes varying between near disk-like (aspect ratio k = 0.2) to very elongated needle-like (k = 8). Rather than the very tightly focused beam geometry of optical tweezers, we use a moderately focused laser beam to manipulate particles individually by optical levitation. The geometry allows us varying the longitudinal position of the particle, and to capture images perpendicular to the beam axis. Experiments show that moderate-k particles are radially trapped with their long axis lying parallel to the beam. Conversely, elongated (k > 3) or flattened (k < 0.3) ellipsoids never come to rest, and permanently "dance" around the beam, through coupled translation-rotation motions. The oscillations are shown to occur in general, be the particle in bulk water or close to a solid boundary, and may be periodic or irregular. We provide evidence for two bifurcations between static and oscillating states, at k ≈ 0.33 and k ≈ 3 for oblate and prolate ellipsoids, respectively. Based on a recently developed 2-dimensional ray-optics simulation (Mihiretie et al., EPL 100, 48005 (2012)), we propose a simple model that allows understanding the physical origin of the oscillations.

We report on optical levitation of dielectric particles, of prolate ellipsoidal shape, a few tens of micrometers in length, in a low-aperture laser beam. Ellipsoids of moderate aspect ratio (k < 3) are observed to be trapped on the axis of the laser beam, similarly to simple spheres. Conversely, elongated particles (k > 3) cannot be kept immobile, and rather undergo sustained oscillating motions, comprising both lateral and angular excursions around the beam axis; hence the name "tumble". The observed tumbling motion, a straightforward manifestation of the non-conservative character of radiation pressure forces, is explained through a 2-dimensional ray optics model of the interaction of light with an ellipsoid.

Electrical four-terminal sensing at (sub-)micrometer scales enables the characterization of key electromagnetic properties within the semiconductor industry, including materials' resistivity, Hall mobility/carrier density, and magnetoresistance. However, as devices' critical dimensions continue to shrink, significant over/underestimation of properties due to a by-product Joule heating of the probed volume becomes increasingly common. Here, we demonstrate how self-heating effects can be quantified and compensated for via 3ω signals to yield zero-current transfer resistance. Under further assumptions, these signals can be used to characterize selected thermal properties of the probed volume, such as the temperature coefficient of resistance and/or the Seebeck coefficient.