Open AccessSelf-alignment of glass fiber nanospike by optomechanical back-action in hollow-core photonic crystal fiber
Author(s) -
Shangran Xie,
Riccardo Pennetta,
P. St. J. Russell
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
optica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.074
H-Index - 107
ISSN - 2334-2536
DOI - 10.1364/optica.3.000277
Subject(s) - photonic crystal fiber , core (optical fiber) , materials science , fiber , optical fiber , optoelectronics , action (physics) , optics , composite material , physics , quantum mechanics
A topic of great current interest is the harnessing and enhancement of optical tweezer forces for trapping small objects of different sizes and shapes at relatively small powers. Here we demonstrate the stable trapping, inside the core of a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF), of a mechanically compliant fused silica nanospike, formed by tapering a single-mode fiber (SMF). The nanospike is subwavelength in diameter over its similar to W50 mu m insertion length in the HC-PCF. Laser light, launched into the SMF core, adiabatically evolves into a mode that extends strongly into the space surrounding the nanospike. It then senses the presence of the hollow core, and the resulting optomechanical action and back-action results in a strong trapping force at the core center. The system permits lens-less, reflection-free, self-stabilized, and self-aligned coupling from SMF to HC-PCF with a demonstrated efficiency of 87.8%. The unique configuration also provides an elegant means of investigating optomechanical effects in optical tweezers, especially at very low pressures. (C) 2016 Optical Society of Americ