Particle trapping and beaming using a 3D nanotip excited with a plasmonic vortex

Recent advances in nanotechnology have prompted the need for tools to accurately and non-invasively manipulate individual nano-objects. Among the possible strategies, optical forces have been widely used to enable nano-optical tweezers capable of trapping or moving a specimen with unprecedented accuracy. Here, we propose an architecture consisting of a nanotip excited with a plasmonic vortex enabling effective dynamic control of nanoparticles in three dimensions. The structure illuminated by a beam with angular momentum can generate an optical field which can be used to manipulate single dielectric nanoparticles. We demonstrate that it’s possible to stably trap or push the particle from specific points, thus enabling a new platform for nanoparticle manipulation.