Optically driven Mie particles in an evanescent field along a channeled waveguide

We report a series of experiments in which Mie-scattering particles were optically driven in the evanescent field that is generated in a channeled waveguide. Polystyrene latex spheres with diameters of 1-5 microm were laterally trapped within the evanescent field, which was produced by a cw laser beam incident upon the waveguide and then longitudinally driven along the direction of the waveguide channel at speeds of as much as 14 microm/s. Metallic spheres of gold (0.5-microm diameter) and platinum (1-microm diameter) were also laterally trapped and longitudinally moved along the waveguide channel.