Observation of the Transfer of the Local Angular Momentum Density of a Multiringed Light Beam to an Optically Trapped Particle

V. Garcés-Chávez, D. McGloin, M. J. Padgett, W. Dultz, H. Schmitzer, and K. Dholakia

Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 093602 – Published 29 August 2003

Abstract

We observe the spinning and orbital motion of a microscopic particle trapped within a multiringed light beam that arises from the transfer of the spin and orbital components of the light’s angular momentum. The two rotation rates are measured as a function of the distance between the particle and the axis of the trapping beam. The radial dependence of these observations is found to be in close agreement with the accepted theory.

Received 20 December 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.093602

Authors & Affiliations

V. Garcés-Chávez^1,*, D. McGloin¹, M. J. Padgett², W. Dultz³, H. Schmitzer⁴, and K. Dholakia¹

¹School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS, United Kingdom
²Department of Physics and Astronomy, Kelvin Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
³Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitat, Phyikalisches Institut (Fb 13), Robert Mayer Strasse 2-4 D-60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
⁴Department of Physics, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207, USA

^*Corresponding author. Electronic address: gv3@st-and.ac.uk

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Vol. 91, Iss. 9 — 29 August 2003

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