Trapping of rare earth-doped nanorods using quasi Bessel beam optical fiber tweezers

Abstract

We demonstrate optical trapping of rare earth-doped NaYF4:Er/Yb nanorods of high aspect ratio (length 1.47 μm and diameter 140 nm) using a quasi Bessel beam (QBB) generated by positive axicon optical fiber tips. Propulsion or trapping of the nanorods is demonstrated using either single or dual fiber nano-tip geometries. The optical force exerted on the trapped nanorods, their velocities, and their positions have been analyzed. We determine the trap stiffness for a single nanorod to be 0.12 pN/μm (0.003 pN/μm) by power spectrum analysis and 0.13 pN/μm (0.015 pN/μm) by Boltzmann statistics in the direction perpendicular to (along) the fiber axes for an average optical power of 34 mW. The experiments illustrate the advantage of using a QBB for multiple nanorod trapping over a large distance of up to 30 μm.

Nanoparticle formation in nanoporous structures and applications

“…Nanoparticles and their properties, such as adsorption and diffusive properties, are nowadays studied in a wide range of field: chemistry, biology, physics, engineering and mathematical modelling [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Hence, the ability in controlling their formation/destruction and in driving the adsorption/desorption dynamics plays a key role in the interactions at a nanoscale, with a deep impact on nanotechnology and material science as well as on the comprehension of fundamental physics aspects [9,10].…”

Particle trapping with optical nanofibers: a review [Invited]

“…In 2018, Leménager et al used single and dual fiber tip optical tweezers to trap spherical YAG:Ce 3+ particles of 300-nm and 60-nm diameter and lanthanide-doped NaYF 4 nanorods with dimensions 640-nm to 1.9- μ m [ 52 ]. With a similar setup, Minz et al demonstrated that using a quasi-Bessel beam in a dual fiber tip optical tweezers, long-range manipulation of nanorods could be obtained [ 24 ]. In general, nanorods are of interest because they could be used to realize single photon sources, in bio-imaging, or in single-molecule spectroscopy.…”

“…Incorporating optical fibers into a conventional optical tweezers setup has allowed researchers to overcome many of these limitations and many reviews on the topic exist [ 14 – 18 ]. The incorporation of optical fibers can be further enhanced due to the fact that their geometry can be changed to produce optical micro- or nanofibers (OMF or ONF) [ 19 ], fiber tips or tapered fiber tips [ 20 – 22 ], structured fiber tips [ 23 , 24 ], or optical fiber rings [ 25 ]. These fiber-based structures enable the realization of optical traps with multiple functions and offer the user somewhat higher flexibility and precision.…”

Optical tweezers and manipulators. Modern concepts and future prospect

“…Due to the diffraction-free property within the focusing depth, transparent and absorbing particles localize, respectively, in the regions of maximum and minimum intensity of the light rings. The family of optical elements offers a wide choice of methods for the formation of Bessel beams using axicons [129,147], DOEs [121,178], and holograms [179], also applicable for producing so-called tubular or `hollow' beams based on a superposition of Bessel beams [140].…”