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Optical lift from dielectric semicylinders.

Stephen H Simpson¹, Simon Hanna, Timothy J Peterson

¹H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK.

|October 3, 2012

Summary

This study analyzes optical forces on a semicylindrical wing using wave optics. Surprisingly, the stable angle of attack is invariant to size, but stiffness increases with radius.

Area of Science:

Physics
Optics
Fluid Dynamics

Background:

Optical forces and torques on microstructures are crucial for optical manipulation.
Previous studies often employed ray optics, which may lack accuracy for small scales.

Purpose of the Study:

To perform a wave optics numerical analysis of optical forces and torques on a semicylindrical optical wing.
To compare wave optics results with existing ray optics analyses.
To investigate the influence of geometric parameters and material properties on optical forces.

Main Methods:

Numerical simulation using wave optics principles.
Analysis of forces and torques acting on a semicylindrical optical wing.
Comparison with ray optics predictions across different scales.

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Main Results:

Wave optics and ray optics analyses show good agreement for large radii relative to the wavelength of light.
A dominant, rotationally stable angle of attack (approximately -15°) was found to be invariant to changes in radius and refractive index.
Torsional stiffness at equilibrium increases with the cube of the radius.
Quasi-resonant internal light modes lead to complex, size-dependent variations in optical lift force magnitude and angle.

Conclusions:

Wave optics is essential for accurate analysis of optical forces on microscale structures.
The invariant stable angle of attack suggests a fundamental optical phenomenon.
The cubic relationship between torsional stiffness and radius highlights the importance of scale in optical wing design.
Complex optical phenomena, such as internal modes, significantly impact optical lift, necessitating detailed wave optics investigations.