Precise control of particle positioning is desirable in many opticalpropulsion and sorting applications. Here, we develop an integrated platformfor particle manipulation consisting of a combined optical nanofiber andoptical tweezers system. Individual silica microspheres were introduced to thenanofiber at arbitrary points using the optical tweezers, thereby producingpronounced dips in the fiber transmission. We show that such consistent andreversible transmission modulations depend on both particle and fiber diameter,and may be used as a reference point for in-situ nanofiber or particle sizemeasurement. Therefore we combine SEM size measurements with nanofibertransmission data to provide calibration for particle-based fiber assessment.We also demonstrate how the optical tweezers can be used to create a particlejet to feed a supply of microspheres to the nanofiber surface, forming aparticle conveyor belt. This integrated optical platform provides a method forselective evanescent field manipulation of micron-sized particles andfacilitates studies of optical binding and light-particle interaction dynamics.
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