Electric-field-modulated light scattering near a morphological resonance of a trapped aerosol particle

We describe electric-field-induced fluctuations in the elastic scattering near optical resonances of a spherical aerosol particle trapped at the null point of an electrodynamic levitator. The particle is apparently driven into a quadrupolar distortion by the electromechanical stress at its surface. Our results coupled with recent theory indicate that the effect is principally due to a modulation in the frequencies of individual optical resonances, that a coherent distortion smaller than one part in 10(5) ( approximately 0.1 nm) is detected, and that the effect may be used for a continuous probe of surface tension and bulk viscosity.