Near-field single tractor-beam acoustical tweezers

Abstract

The possibility to trap a sphere in the near-field of a single-beam piston transducer is theoretically demonstrated. Conditions are found where a rigid, fluid, elastic, and viscoelastic sphere with arbitrary radius placed in the near-field and centered on the axis of a circular piezoelectric transducer vibrating uniformly, experiences a pulling force, so the acoustical waves act as a "tractor" beam. Numerical predictions illustrate the theory with particular emphasis on the distance from the source, the size of the transducer, and the elastic properties of the sphere. Those results can potentially suggest a simple and reliable method in designing acoustical tweezers. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.