Determining the radius of trapped gold nanoparticles with Mie scattering theory

Abstract

For this research we trapped gold nanoparticles in a linear Paul trap. The nanoparticles were irradiated with a laser. The intensity of the sideways scattered light was measured for different polarization angles. We were able to determine the size of the trapped particles by making use of simulations, which are based on Mie theory. The radius of the trapped particles varies around 440 nm and 850 nm. The gold particles that are used for trapping have a diameter of 100 nm. This means the particles are aggregated once trapped.