Abstract

By focusing a 1064-nm laser beam, radiation pressure is exerted on micrometer-sized polymer latex particles, microcapsules, liquid droplets, and so on in solution. Geometrical optics can explain their laser trapping in terms of momentum transfer from beam photons to microparticles. Brownian motion of the trapped microparticles is completely suppressed, and by introducing nanosecond- picosecond blue laser pulse additionally, fluorescence as well as absorption spectroscopic analysis, photochemistry, and fabrication / laser ablation of individual particles are conducted.

© 1996 Optical Society of America