Work

Polarization-controlled orbital force in optical traps of vector Bessel beams

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In this work, we theoretically investigate the tailoring of optical force on a dielectric Rayleigh particle structured by a non-paraxial vector Bessel beam. By constructing a coherent superposition of transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) Bessel modes, we demonstrate that the local azimuthal orbital force can be continuously manipulated while the global topological charge remains fixed. Utilizing a full-vector force decomposition within the electric-dipole approximation, we identify a driving agent termed the polarization connection, which quantitatively maps the local transverse circularity of the field's polarization ellipse. Our results reveal that by sweeping the relative phase delay between TE and TM modes, the effective azimuthal momentum can be modulated beyond the nominal scalar vortex limit. These results identify an additional polarization-based tuning channel for controlling azimuthal optical driving forces in structured vector fields.

Source: Optics Express

DOI: 10.1364/oe.608985

Authors: Chunjie Zhai, Zhaolou Cao

Institution: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology

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: $2,270

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Qinglan Project of Jiangsu Province of China