Measurement of single nanoparticle anisotropy by laser induced optical alignment and Rayleigh scattering for determining particle morphology

Rademacher, M., Gosling, J., Pontin, A., Toros, M. , Mulder, J. T., Houtepen, A. J. and Barker, P. F. (2022) Measurement of single nanoparticle anisotropy by laser induced optical alignment and Rayleigh scattering for determining particle morphology. Applied Physics Letters, 121, 221102. (doi: 10.1063/5.0128606)

Abstract

We demonstrate the measurement of nanoparticle anisotropy by angularly resolved Rayleigh scattering of single optical levitated particles that are oriented in space via the trapping light in vacuum. This technique is applied to a range of particle geometries from perfect spherical nanodroplets to octahedral nanocrystals. We show that this method can resolve shape differences down to a few nanometers and be applied in both low-damping environments, as demonstrated here, and in traditional overdamped fluids used in optical tweezers.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: M.R., J.G., A.P., and P.F.B. acknowledge funding from the EPSRC via Grant Nos. EP/S000267/1 and EP/W029626/1. M.R., J.G., A.P., J.T.M., A.J.H, and P.F.B. acknowledge funding from the H2020-EU.1.2.1 TEQ Project through Grant Agreement ID 766900. M.T. acknowledges funding by the Leverhulme Trust (No. RPG-2020-197).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Toros, Dr Marko
• Authors: Rademacher, M., Gosling, J., Pontin, A., Toros, M., Mulder, J. T., Houtepen, A. J., and Barker, P. F.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics
• ISSN: 0003-6951
• ISSN (Online): 1077-3118
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Applied Physics Letters 121:221102
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
308508		Quantum Mechanics in a Rotating World	Miles Padgett	Leverhulme Trust (LEVERHUL)	RPG-2020-197	P&S - Physics & Astronomy