Abstract

We demonstrate the existence of a class of optical beams where the nonconservative forces can be locally oriented in a direction opposite to the propagation wave vector. Objects placed in the vicinity of these locations will move toward the source of light. The behavior of these negative forces is discussed for the particular case of nondiffracting rotating scale-invariant vector electromagnetic waves.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

Optimized optical “tractor beam” for core–shell nanoparticles

Neng Wang, Wanli Lu, Jack Ng, and Zhifang Lin
Opt. Lett. 39(8) 2399-2402 (2014)

Optical Bessel tractor beam on active dielectric Rayleigh prolate and oblate spheroids

F. G. Mitri
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 34(5) 899-908 (2017)

Helical tractor beam: analytical solution of Rayleigh particle dynamics

Luis Carretero, Pablo Acebal, Celia Garcia, and Salvador Blaya
Opt. Express 23(16) 20529-20539 (2015)

Helix-shaped tractor and repulsor beams enabling bidirectional optical transport of particles en masse

José A. Rodrigo, Óscar Martínez-Matos, and Tatiana Alieva
Photon. Res. 10(11) 2560-2574 (2022)

Three-dimensional analysis of optical forces generated by an active tractor beam using radial polarization

Luis Carretero, Pablo Acebal, and Salvador Blaya
Opt. Express 22(3) 3284-3295 (2014)