Controlled construction, rotation and translation of 3-dimensional, optically trapped structures

Summary form only given. We have extended the concept of optical trapping and manipulation with Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams by overlapping two LG modes of opposite phase helicity (one with a positive azimuthal index l and one with a negative l) to create an interference pattern consisting of a set of bright spots. This pattern remains intact as it propagates in the z-direction, due to the matched beam parameters of the overlapping beams unlike patterns produced using phase or intensity masks. Simulations of such a pattern are presented. In this work the pattern was produced by splitting a holographically produced LG beam into two separate beams in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a dove prism in one arm to reverse the helicity of one beam. The two beams could then be recombined to form the spot pattern.