Chiral optical tweezers for optically active particles in the T-matrix formalism

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 9; no. 1; p. 29
• Main Authors: Patti, Francesco, Saija, Rosalba, Denti, Paolo, Pellegrini, Giovanni, Biagioni, Paolo, Iatì, Maria Antonia, Maragò, Onofrio M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 10.01.2019; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/624; 639/624/1107/1110; 639/624/400/1021; Amino acids; Asymmetry; Carbohydrates; Humanities and Social Sciences; Light; Light scattering; multidisciplinary; Nanotechnology; Propagation; Radiation; Scaling; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Stainless steel; Symmetry; Trapping
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36434-9

Modeling optical tweezers in the T-matrix formalism has been of key importance for accurate and efficient calculations of optical forces and their comparison with experiments. Here we extend this formalism to the modeling of chiral optomechanics and optical tweezers where chiral light is used for optical manipulation and trapping of optically active particles. We first use the Bohren decomposition to deal with the light scattering of chiral light on optically active particles. Thus, we show analytically that all the observables (cross sections, asymmetry parameters) are split into a helicity dependent and independent part and study a practical example of a complex resin particle with inner copper-coated stainless steel helices. Then, we apply this chiral T-matrix framework to optical tweezers where a tightly focused chiral field is used to trap an optically active spherical particle, calculate the chiral behaviour of optical trapping stiffnesses and their size scaling, and extend calculations to chiral nanowires and clusters of astrophysical interest. Such general light scattering framework opens perspectives for modeling optical forces on biological materials where optically active amino acids and carbohydrates are present.