Optical peristalsis

Abstract

We describe an efficient method for transporting and rearranging mesoscopic objects in three dimensions using short repetitive sequences of holographic optical trapping patterns. Material transport in this process is analogous to peristaltic pumping, with the configurations of optical traps mimicking the states of a physical peristaltic pump. Optical peristalsis can transport large numbers of small particles rapidly and determinstically through complex three-dimensional patterns. The same system also can be used to study transport in a variety of model thermal ratchets.