Conveying Nanometer Airborne Carbon Based Particles with an Optical Archimedes Screw

Trapping and manipulation of particles using laser beams has become an important tool in diverse fields of research [1]. In recent years, particular interest is given to the problem of conveying optically trapped particles over extended distances either down or upstream the direction of the photons momentum flow [2].

Here, we propose and demonstrate experimentally an optical analogue of the famous Archimedes' screw where the rotation of a helical-intensity beam is transferred to the axial motion of optically-trapped nano-meter to micro-meter scale airborne carbon based particles [3]. With this optical screw, particles were easily conveyed with controlled velocity and direction, upstream or downstream the optical flow, over a distance of half a centimeter. Our results offer a very simple optical conveyor that could be adapted to a wide range of optical trapping scenarios.

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