Continuous-feed optical sorting of aerosol particles

Abstract

We consider the problem of sorting, by size, spherical particles of order 100 nm radius. The scheme we analyze consists of a heterogeneous stream of spherical particles flowing at an oblique angle across an optical Gaussian mode standing wave. Sorting is achieved by the combined spatial and size dependencies of the optical force. Particles of all sizes enter the flow at a point, but exit at different locations depending on size. Exiting particles may be detected optically or separated for further processing. The scheme has the advantages of accommodating a high throughput, producing a continuous stream of continuously dispersed particles, and exhibiting excellent size resolution. We performed detailed Monte Carlo simulations of particle trajectories through the optical field under the influence of convective air flow. We also developed a method for deriving effective velocities and diffusion constants from the Fokker-Planck equation that can generate equivalent results much more quickly. With an optical wavelength of 1064 nm, polystyrene particles with radii in the neighborhood of 275 nm, for which the optical force vanishes, may be sorted with a resolution below 1 nm.

OptSortSph: Optical Sorting in a Standing Wave Field Calculated with Effective Velocities and Diffusion Constants

“…In the second step, these effective constants of motion are used to predict positions of particles swept across the interference field. Here, we present the code which was used in a companion article [1].…”

“…The extrinsic test is a comparison to a Monte Carlo program which is not supplied, but is described in Ref. [1]. Substantial agreement has been obtained.…”

“…In the second step, these effective constants of motion are used to predict positions of particles swept across the interference field. Here, we present the code which was used in a companion article [1].The fine scale tracks a domain of typically 16 interference fringes with a spatial resolution typically 1/16 of a fringe. The Fokker-Planck equation tracks the evolution of the probability distribution of a sphere in a period set of one-dimensional sinusoidal wells.…”

“…The intrinsic tests are described in the Appendix of Ref. [1]. The most difficult part of the code is the solution of the Fokker-Planck equation.…”

Topologically Enabled Optical Nanomotors

“…These interactions could facilitate optimal external control in applications that include molecular winding, nanoparticle sorting, and in vivo manipulation (37)(38)(39)(40).…”