Pattern formation and flow control of fine particles by laser-scanning micromanipulation

Abstract

A novel micromanipulation technique is proposed for aligning fine particles on micrometer-scale spatial patterns and for moving the particles continuously along the formed patterns. This technique is based on the repetitive scanning of a focused trapping laser beam. The velocity of the particle flow can be controlled by scan speed and laser power. The origin of the driving force is considered theoretically and experimentally.