Optical trapping using transverse electromagnetic (TEM)-like mode in a coaxial nanowaveguide

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Optical traps are essential for manipulating microscopic particles in 3D.
• Fiber-based optical traps (FOTs) offer simplified setups and enhanced robustness.
• Trapping 10-nm nanoparticles with FOTs presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model and demonstrate a novel FOT for trapping 10-nm nanoparticles.
• To investigate the use of a coaxial waveguide for nanoparticle manipulation.
• To achieve efficient trapping of nanoparticles at low optical power.

Main Methods:

• Modeling of a coaxial waveguide operating in the optical regime.
• Utilizing a transverse electromagnetic (TEM)-like guided mode for trapping.
• Employing finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations to validate the model.

Main Results:

• The coaxial waveguide design supports a TEM-like mode suitable for nanoparticle trapping.
• Single 10-nm nanoparticles at the waveguide front-end break mode symmetry, enhancing far-field transmission.
• Simulations confirm efficient trapping of 10-nm nanoparticles at low optical power.

Conclusions:

• The proposed FOT design enables effective trapping of 10-nm nanoparticles.
• This breakthrough overcomes previous limitations in nanoparticle manipulation with FOTs.
• The method offers a low-power, robust solution for nanoscale optical trapping.