Photophoretic Trapping: Fundamentals, Advances and Future Directions

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Pahi, Anita, Sahoo, Kirty Ranjan, Sil, Souvik, Banerjee, Ayan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Pahi, Anita
Sahoo, Kirty Ranjan
Sil, Souvik
Banerjee, Ayan
author_facet Pahi, Anita
Sahoo, Kirty Ranjan
Sil, Souvik
Banerjee, Ayan
contents Photophoretic forces, several orders of magnitude stronger than radiation pressure, enable particle trapping at remarkably low optical intensities and have opened pathways to applications in aerosol science, free-space 3D volumetric displays, and even deployment of lightweight payloads in space. In this review, we provide a comprehensive explanation of the underlying physics of photophoretic forces and how they facilitate stable three-dimensional manipulation of absorbing particles. We examine the experimental configurations that enable robust trapping, and we detail the physical parameters that govern the magnitude and behavior of photophoretic forces in these geometries. The rich dynamical phenomena exhibited by photophoretically trapped particles are discussed alongside current and emerging applications and possible future research directions. This review thus attempts to systematically unify the theoretical, experimental, and application-oriented aspects of photophoretic trapping, with the aim of advancing and strengthening research in this rapidly developing field.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_09401
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Photophoretic Trapping: Fundamentals, Advances and Future Directions
Pahi, Anita
Sahoo, Kirty Ranjan
Sil, Souvik
Banerjee, Ayan
Optics
Photophoretic forces, several orders of magnitude stronger than radiation pressure, enable particle trapping at remarkably low optical intensities and have opened pathways to applications in aerosol science, free-space 3D volumetric displays, and even deployment of lightweight payloads in space. In this review, we provide a comprehensive explanation of the underlying physics of photophoretic forces and how they facilitate stable three-dimensional manipulation of absorbing particles. We examine the experimental configurations that enable robust trapping, and we detail the physical parameters that govern the magnitude and behavior of photophoretic forces in these geometries. The rich dynamical phenomena exhibited by photophoretically trapped particles are discussed alongside current and emerging applications and possible future research directions. This review thus attempts to systematically unify the theoretical, experimental, and application-oriented aspects of photophoretic trapping, with the aim of advancing and strengthening research in this rapidly developing field.
title Photophoretic Trapping: Fundamentals, Advances and Future Directions
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.09401