Abstract

We describe electric-field-induced fluctuations in the elastic scattering near optical resonances of a spherical aerosol particle trapped at the null point of an electrodynamic levitator. The particle is apparently driven into a quadrupolar distortion by the electromechanical stress at its surface. Our results coupled with recent theory indicate that the effect is principally due to a modulation in the frequencies of individual optical resonances, that a coherent distortion smaller than one part in 10⁵ (∼0.1 nm) is detected, and that the effect may be used for a continuous probe of surface tension and bulk viscosity.

© 1990 Optical Society of America

Optical bistability of an aqueous aerosol particle detected through light scattering: theory and experiment

Stephen Arnold, T. R. O’Keeffe, K. M. Leung, L. M. Folan, T. Scalese, and A. Pluchino
Appl. Opt. 29(24) 3473-3478 (1990)

Determination of molecular orientation at the surface of an aerosol particle by morphology-dependent photoselection

L. M. Folan and S. Arnold
Opt. Lett. 13(1) 1-3 (1988)

Observation of input and output structural resonances in the Raman spectrum of a single spheroidal dielectric microparticle

G. Schweiger
Opt. Lett. 15(3) 156-158 (1990)

Nonlinear Mie scattering: electrostrictive coupling of light to droplet acoustic modes

A. L. Huston, H.-B. Lin, J. D. Eversole, and A. J. Campillo
Opt. Lett. 15(21) 1176-1178 (1990)

Light scattering by laser levitated particles

Nebil Y. Misconi, John P. Oliver, Keith F. Ratcliff, Edwin T. Rusk, and Wan-Xian Wang
Appl. Opt. 29(15) 2276-2281 (1990)