Optical force conversion and conveyor belt effect with coupled graphene plasmon waveguide modes.

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Optical forces are crucial for manipulating micro/nanoparticles.
• Graphene's unique optical properties offer potential for novel photonic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate optical pulling and pushing forces using a double-layer graphene structure coupled to a graphene strip.
• To explore the realization of the conveyor belt effect for optical manipulation.

Main Methods:

• Coupled mode theory was employed to analyze the optical system.
• Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations were used to validate the theoretical findings.

Main Results:

• The proposed structure achieves significant optical forces, with maximum values of ~5.95 1/c (S-mode) and ~2.75 1/c (AS-mode).
• Optical trapping potentials and forces were quantified, reaching -56 kBT/W and 520 pN/W for the anti-symmetric mode.
• The conveyor belt effect was realized when radiation loss equals intrinsic loss (κe = κo).

Conclusions:

• The double-layer graphene configuration effectively generates optical pulling and pushing forces.
• This research opens new possibilities for optical manipulation with applications in optoelectronics and lab-on-a-chip technologies.