Tweezers with a twist | Nature Photonics

ABSTRACT The fact that light carries both linear and angular momentum is well-known to physicists. One application of the linear momentum of light is for optical tweezers, in which the

refraction of a laser beam through a particle provides a reaction force that draws the particle towards the centre of the beam. The angular momentum of light can also be transfered to

particles, causing them to spin. In fact, the angular momentum of light has two components that act through different mechanisms on various types of particle. This Review covers the creation

of such beams and how their unusual intensity, polarization and phase structure has been put to use in the field of optical manipulation. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe

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TIME-VARYING 3D OPTICAL TORQUE VIA A SINGLE BEAM Article Open access 11 January 2025 GEAR-LIKE ROTATABLE OPTICAL TRAPPING WITH RADIAL CARPET BEAMS Article Open access 16 July 2020 CONTROLLED

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produced with TIM, a custom Java raytracer (http://arxiv.org/abs/1101.3861v1). AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow,

Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK Miles Padgett & Richard Bowman Authors * Miles Padgett View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Richard Bowman View

author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Miles Padgett. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT

THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Padgett, M., Bowman, R. Tweezers with a twist. _Nature Photon_ 5, 343–348 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2011.81 Download citation * Published: 31 May

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