Diverse particle manipulation within different 2D planes via orientation-selective Airy vortex beams

Abstract

Structured light is increasingly recognized by researchers as a tool for enhancing the degrees of control freedom and adaptability of optical tweezers. However, the challenge of employing a single beam to navigate different planes and execute varied complex manipulations persists as a pressing concern. Herein, we present a solution by integrating coordinate transformation techniques with Airy vortex beams to generate orientation-selective Airy vortex beams. By preserving the inherent self-healing attributes of Airy beams, this approach enables the creation of arbitrary super-ellipse shapes (e.g., ellipse, square-like, and rectangular-like), each observed within distinct planes. Due to the non-circular symmetry of these shapes, their intensity distribution varies across different planes during propagation in 3D space. We experimentally demonstrate that orientation-selective Airy vortex beams operate on circular, elliptical, square-like, and rectangular-like trajectories at different 2D planes along the optical axis. These results enhance the trajectory of particles manipulated by spatially structured light fields in optical tweezers.