Ray optics model and numerical computations for the radiation pressure micromotor

Abstract

In this letter, the spinning of a micron sized radiation pressure motor is analyzed using geometrical optics to model for interactions of a highly focused laser beam with the medium discontinuities. The motor’s direction of rotation and dependence on focused beam parameters, predicted from the computations, are in agreement with previously published experimental results. The motor can be made to rotate in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction by changing the ambient medium only.