Trap split with Laguerre-Gaussian beams

Abstract

The optical trapping techniques have been extensively used in physics, biophysics, micro-chemistry, and micro-mechanics to allow trapping and manipulation of materials ranging from particles, cells, biological substances, and polymers to DNA and RNA molecules. In this Letter, we present a convenient and effective way to generate a novel phenomenon of trapping, named trap split, in a conventional four-level double-\Lambda atomic system driven by four femtosecond Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulses. We find that trap split can be always achieved when atoms are trapped by such laser pulses, as compared to Gaussian ones. This work would greatly facilitate the trapping and manipulating the particles and generation of trap split. It may also suggest the possibility of extension into new research fields, such as micro-machining and biophysics.