Open AccessMode-based microparticle conveyor belt in air-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber
Author(s) -
O. Schmidt,
T. G. Euser,
P. St. J. Russell
Publication year - 2013
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.21.029383
Subject(s) - optics , photonic crystal fiber , superposition principle , core (optical fiber) , optical fiber , microparticle , materials science , beat (acoustics) , millimeter , physics , quantum mechanics
We show how microparticles can be moved over long distances and precisely positioned in a low-loss air-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber using a coherent superposition of two co-propagating spatial modes, balanced by a backward-propagating fundamental mode. This creates a series of trapping positions spaced by half the beat-length between the forward-propagating modes (typically a fraction of a millimeter). The system allows a trapped microparticle to be moved along the fiber by continuously tuning the relative phase between the two forward-propagating modes. This mode-based optical conveyor belt combines long-range transport of microparticles with a positional accuracy of 1 µm. The technique also has potential uses in waveguide-based optofluidic systems.