Optical pulling forces and their applications

Abstract

Optical manipulations utilizing the mechanical effect of light have been indispensable in various disciplines. Among those various manipulations, optical pulling has emerged recently as an attractive notion and captivated the popular imagination, not only because it constitutes a rich family of counterintuitive phenomena compared with traditional manipulations but also due to the profound physics underneath and potential applications. Beginning with a general introduction to optical forces, related theories, and methods, we review the progresses achieved in optical pulling forces using different mechanisms and configurations. Similar pulling forces in other forms of waves, including acoustic, water, and quantum matter waves, are also integrated. More importantly, we also include the progresses in counterintuitive left-handed optical torque and lateral optical force as the extensions of the pulling force. As a new manipulation degree of freedom, optical pulling force and related effects have potential applications in remote mass transportation, optical rotating, and optical sorting. They may also stimulate the investigations of counterintuitive phenomena in other forms of waves.

Optical Forces: From Fundamental to Biological Applications

“…Detailed description of the fundamentals on optical force generation and calculation can be found in several reviews. [ 62–64 ] For example, Li et al comprehensively reviewed different optical manipulation techniques ranging from optical tweezers to optomechanical systems and compound force manipulation, with particular focus on optical pulling force. [ 64 ] Here we emphasize the progress in the emerging area of complex light field‐induced optical forces.…”

“…[ 62–64 ] For example, Li et al comprehensively reviewed different optical manipulation techniques ranging from optical tweezers to optomechanical systems and compound force manipulation, with particular focus on optical pulling force. [ 64 ] Here we emphasize the progress in the emerging area of complex light field‐induced optical forces. Following the emergence and development of optical vortices, tractor beams, and non‐diffraction beams, novel types of optical forces have been derived, including optical torque, optical pulling force, and optical binding force, which have enabled further understanding of the light‐matter interactions in advanced optical manipulation.…”

Optical trapping with structured light: a review

“…Thus far, structured light beams with customized phase and amplitude have been successfully applied to drive the optical transport of particles in 3D trajectories by exerting optical forces arising from high intensity and phase gradients. Recently, there are several excellent review articles on this topic, [27][28][29][30][31][32][33] including optical pulling force, 28 optical transport of small particles, 29 optomechanics with levitated particles, 30 acoustic and optical trapping for biomedical research, 31 and so on. 32 More recently, advanced optical manipulation using structured light was reviewed, 33 which focused on the manipulation of transparent dielectric particles.…”

Rotational Doppler cooling and heating

“…For a molecular ensemble (15)(16)(17)(18)(19) that is not tightly confined close to the rotational quantum ground state, the statistical average of the rotation dynamics can be approximately characterized by a continuous rotation velocity (18), using the quantum-classical correspondence. Such a classical model is rigorous and illuminating for studying novel optical manipulations of nano-or microparticles in the rapidly evolving field of nanophotonics (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(35)(36)(37)(38).…”