Selective Trapping of Multiple Particles by Volume Speckle Field

We suggest a new approach for selective trapping of light absorbing particles in gases by multiple optical bottle-beam-like traps created by volume speckle field. We demonstrate stable simultaneous confinement of a few thousand micro-particles in air with a single low-power laser beam. The size distribution of trapped particles exhibits a narrow peak near the average size of an optical speckle. Thus, the speckle-formed traps act as a sieve with the holes selecting particles of a similar size. References and links 1. A. Ashkin, " Acceleration and trapping of particles by radiation pressure, " Phys. Development of an optical trap for microparticle clouds in dilute gases, " Eur. Phys. Photophoretic manipulation of absorbing aerosol particles with vortex beams: theory versus experiment, " Opt. Computer-generated holographic optical tweezer arrays, " Rev. Optimized holographic optical traps, " Opt. Generation of a beam with a dark focus surrounded by regions of higher intensity: the optical bottle beam, " Opt. A three dimensional dark focal spot uniformly surrounded by light, " Opt.eration of optical bottle beams by incoherent white-light vortices, " Opt. Atom trapping in an interferometrically generated bottle beam trap, " Opt.ing and correlation properties of white-light optical vortices, " Opt. " Electronic and magnetic properties of carbon nanofoam produced by high-repetition-rate laser ablation, " Appl. Formation of cluster-assembled carbon nano-foam by high-repetition-rate laser ablation, " Appl. Structural analysis of a carbon foam formed by high pulse-rate laser ablation, " Appl.