Work

Brownian Motion in a Speckle Light Field: Tunable Anomalous Diffusion and Selective Optical Manipulation

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: The motion of particles in random potentials occurs in several natural phenomena ranging from the mobility of organelles within a biological cell to the diffusion of stars within a galaxy. A Brownian particle moving in the random optical potential associated to a speckle pattern, i.e., a complex interference pattern generated by the scattering of coherent light by a random medium, provides an ideal model system to study such phenomena. Here, we derive a theory for the motion of a Brownian particle in a speckle field and, in particular, we identify its universal characteristic timescale. Based on this theoretical insight, we show how speckle light fields can be used to control the anomalous diffusion of a Brownian particle and to perform some basic optical manipulation tasks such as guiding and sorting. Our results might broaden the perspectives of optical manipulation for real-life applications.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/srep03936

Authors: Giorgio Volpe, Giovanni Volpe, Sylvain Gigan

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bilkent University, ParisTech, Institut Langevin

Language: English

Topic: Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,690

Funders: European Commission, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, FP7 Ideas: European Research Council