Guiding polarizable particles in multi-hole Gaussian beams

Abstract

The present paper discusses certain special Gaussian beams that, thanks to some polynomial prefactors, have uniquely designed holes in the irradiance. Such holes, or rather tubes, can constitute potential valleys for negatively polarizable particles, providing the possibility of guiding several objects of that kind, each along its own trajectory. The mechanism of creating these holes by interference of Gaussian beams which exhibit orbital angular momentum is discussed, and then the trajectories of particles moving in such a wave are numerically calculated. As it turns out, these particles, performing transverse oscillations, follow the designed tunnels of low irradiance. On the contrary, for particles with positive polarizability these areas are inaccessible.