Abstract
The new principle of radiation-pressure trapping of neutral dielectric particles by means of alternating light beams was demonstrated in an optical levitation experiment. Stable trapping of micron-sized spheres was observed due to alternating scattering-force fields under conditions where stable cw trapping was not possible. Application of this principle to neutral-atom trapping as a means of circumvention of the optical Earnshaw theorem is suggested. A new stable cw optical trap for spheres was also discovered.
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Publication Info
- Year
- 1985
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1245-1248
- Citations
- 110
- Access
- Closed
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Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1103/physrevlett.54.1245