Optical skipping rope induced transverse OAM for particle orbital motion parallel to the optical axis

Abstract

In structured light tweezers, it is a challenging technical issue to realize the complete circular motion of the trapped particles parallel to the optical axis. Herein, we propose and generate a novel optical skipping rope via combining beam shaping technology, Fourier shift theorem, and beam grafting technology. This optical skipping rope can induce the transverse orbital angular momentum (OAM) (i.e., nominal OAM, whose direction is perpendicular to the optical axis) and transfer it to the particles, so that the particles have a transverse torque, thereby causing the particles to rotate parallel to the optical axis. Experimentally, our optical tweezers validate that the designed optical skipping rope realizes the orbital motion of polystyrene particles parallel to the optical axis. Additionally, the experiments also demonstrate that the optical skipping ropes manipulate particles to move along the oblique coil trajectory and three-dimensional (3D) cycloidal trajectory. Using the laser beam induced OAM, this innovative technology increases the degree of freedom for manipulating particles, which is of great significance for the application of optical tweezers in optical manipulation, micromechanics, and mimicry of celestial orbits.