Open AccessOn the rotational stability of nonspherical particles driven by the radiation torque
Author(s) -
Ferdinando Borghese,
P. Denti,
Rosalba Saija,
Maria Antonia Iatı̀
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.15.008960
Subject(s) - physics , torque , moment of inertia , classical mechanics , principal axis theorem , optics , rotation around a fixed axis , electromagnetic radiation , inertia , spheres , transverse plane , monochromatic color , mechanics , geometry , quantum mechanics , mathematics , structural engineering , astronomy , engineering
We calculate the radiation torque exerted by a monochromatic plane wave, either unpolarized or linearly polarized, on aggregates of spheres and investigate the stability of the resulting rotational motion. In fact, neglecting any braking momenta we calculate the component of the electromagnetic torque orthogonal to the principal axis of maximum moment of inertia through the center of mass (transverse torque), as a function of the direction of propagation of the incident field. The aggregates we study are composed of homogeneous spheres, possibly of different materials. The electromagnetic torque is calculated through the transition matrix approach along the lines of the theory reported in our recent paper [F. Borghese, P. Denti, R. Saija and M. A. Iati, Opt. Express 14, 9508 (2006)]. When the transverse component of the electromagnetic torque is small or vanishes the rotational motion driven by the component along the principal axis of inertia may be nearly stable.