Abstract

Optical vortices can provide mechanisms for micromanipulation of micron or sub-micron sized particles as well as a means to generate complicated array patterns. Particularly interesting is the way in which higher order vortices can be triggered by a secondary optical field to explode or implode. We present a new triggering concept that allows a relatively simple optical field to create and destroy complex angular momentum bearing wavefronts.

© 2003 Optical Society of America