Near-infrared Laser-induced Temperature Elevation in Optically-trapped Aqueous Droplets in Air

Near-infrared laser-induced temperature elevation in single aqueous ammonium sulfate droplets levitated in air were evaluated by means of laser trapping and Raman spectroscopy. Since the vapor pressure in an aqueous solution droplet should be thermodynamically in equilibrium with that of water in air, the equilibrium size of the droplet varies sensitively through evaporation/condensation of water in accordance with the temperature change of the droplet. In this study, we demonstrated that the changes in the size of an optically levitated aqueous ammonium sulfate droplet were induced by irradiation of a 1064-nm laser beam as a heat source under an optical microscope. Temperature elevation in the droplet was evaluated successfully by means of Raman spectroscopy, and the values determined were shown to be in good agreement with those by the theoretical calculations based on the absorption coefficient of water at 1064-nm and the thermal conductivity of air. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental demonstration showing that the absorption coefficient evaluated from changes in the size of optically-trapped aqueous droplets is consistent with that of pure water.