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Brownian particle in an optical potential of the washboard type
Svetlana A Tatarkova1, Wilson Sibbett, Kishan Dholakia
1School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SS, Scotland. sat3@st-andrew.ac.uk
Physical Review Letters
|August 9, 2003
Abstract:
Experimental observations of the fluctuation-driven net transport of silica microspheres are presented in a two-dimensional optical potential of circular symmetry created by a Bessel light beam. The optical field is tailored to break symmetry and create a static tilted periodic (washboard) potential. As the tilt of potential exceeds a threshold, a transition between locked and running modes is observed. The running mode manifests itself by the rapid accumulation of particles at the beam center.