2017/09/12 by Dmitry S. Bykov, Shangran Xie, Bykov, Dmitry S. +11
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies #FOS: Physical sciences #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Optics (physics.optics) #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1709.04053
openalex publication_date 2017/09/12 · openalex created_date 2022/10/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Optically levitated micro- and nanoparticles offer an ideal playground for\ninvestigating photon-phonon interactions over macroscopic distances. Here we\nreport the observation of long-range optical binding of multiple\nmicroparticles, mediated by intermodal scattering and interference inside the\nevacuated core of a hollow-core photonic crystal fibre (HC-PCF). Three\npolystyrene particles with 1 \μm diameter are stably bound together with an\ninter-particle distance of ~40 \μm, or 50 times longer than the wavelength\nof the trapping laser. The bound-particle array can be translated to-and-fro\nover centimetre distances along the fibre. When evacuated to 6 mbar gas\npressure, the collective mechanical modes of the bound-particle array could be\nobserved. The measured inter-particle distance at equilibrium and mechanical\neigen-frequencies are supported by a novel analytical formalism modelling the\ndynamics of the binding process. The HC-PCF system offers a unique platform for\ninvestigating the rich optomechanical dynamics of arrays of levitated particles\nin a well-isolated and protected environment.\n