In this thesis, we investigate the coherent scattering of light by atoms randomly distributed in space. As described by a model of coupled dipoles, the cooperation in the spontaneous emission process results from purely optical interactions between the atomic internal degrees of freedom. In the optically dilute regime, where the atomic medium can be described by a refractive index, we have shown that light can be deflected with the application of a gradient of magnetic field. In the dense regime, short-range interactions appear to suppress Anderson localization of light even in two dimensions, a result which disassembles the common belief that all waves are localized in two dimensions. We also find that the fringe pattern, resulting from the interference between light scattered by an atomic cloud and that of its specular image, is robust to both disorder averaging and saturation. Finally, we demonstrate two-atom bound states in the two-dimensional motion through the long-range optical coupling. This optical binding effect with an atom pair will be important to investigate the all-optical stabilization of large clouds. / Nesta tese, investigamos o espalhamento coerente de luz por átomos distribuídos aleatoriamente no espaço. Conforme descrito por um modelo de dipolos acoplados, a cooperação no processo de emissão espontânea resulta de interações puramente ópticas entre os graus internos de liberdade dos átomos. No regime opticamente diluído, onde o meio atômico pode ser descrito por um índice de refração, mostramos que a luz pode ser desviada com a aplicação de um gradiente de campo magnético. No regime denso, as interações de curto alcance parecem suprimir a localização de Anderson da luz mesmo em duas dimensões, resultado que desmonta a crença comum de que todas as ondas estão localizadas em duas dimensões. Também descobrimos que o padrão de franjas, resultante da interferência entre a luz espalhada por uma nuvem atômica e a de sua imagem especular, é robusto tanto contra a média em disordem quanto contra saturação. Finalmente, demonstramos estados ligados de dois átomos no movimento bidimensional através do acoplamento óptico de longo alcance. Este optical binding effect com um par de átomos será importante para investigar a estabilização totalmente óptica de nuvens extensas.

In this thesis, we investigate the coherent scattering of light by atoms randomly distributed in space. As described by a model of coupled dipoles, the cooperation in the spontaneous emission process results from purely optical interactions between the atomic internal degrees of freedom. In the optically dilute regime, where the atomic medium can be described by a refractive index, we have shown that light can be deflected with the application of a gradient of magnetic field. In the dense regime, short-range interactions appear to suppress Anderson localization of light even in two dimensions, a result which disassembles the common belief that all waves are localized in two dimensions. We also find that the fringe pattern, resulting from the interference between light scattered by an atomic cloud and that of its specular image, is robust to both disorder averaging and saturation. Finally, we demonstrate two-atom bound states in the two-dimensional motion through the long-range optical coupling. This optical binding effect with an atom pair will be important to investigate the all-optical stabilization of large clouds. / Nesta tese, investigamos o espalhamento coerente de luz por átomos distribuídos aleatoriamente no espaço. Conforme descrito por um modelo de dipolos acoplados, a cooperação no processo de emissão espontânea resulta de interações puramente ópticas entre os graus internos de liberdade dos átomos. No regime opticamente diluído, onde o meio atômico pode ser descrito por um índice de refração, mostramos que a luz pode ser desviada com a aplicação de um gradiente de campo magnético. No regime denso, as interações de curto alcance parecem suprimir a localização de Anderson da luz mesmo em duas dimensões, resultado que desmonta a crença comum de que todas as ondas estão localizadas em duas dimensões. Também descobrimos que o padrão de franjas, resultante da interferência entre a luz espalhada por uma nuvem atômica e a de sua imagem especular, é robusto tanto contra a média em disordem quanto contra saturação. Finalmente, demonstramos estados ligados de dois átomos no movimento bidimensional através do acoplamento óptico de longo alcance. Este optical binding effect com um par de átomos será importante para investigar a estabilização totalmente óptica de nuvens extensas.

This thesis explores the structures and dynamics of optically confined matter, ranging from single particle traps to complex optically bound colloidal arrays, investigating and quantifying the behaviour of each system. It begins with an introduction to optical manipulation techniques and a discussion of the development of the single beam gradient force trap, more commonly referred to as optical tweezers. Following this, the building of a single beam optical trap will be presented alongside a discussion of some of the key components in such a setup, before it is calibrated, allowing a demonstration of some of the techniques which are utilised later in the thesis. The optical trapping of aerosol droplets is an area of key importance in atmospheric chemistry, as optical tweezers provide a valuable and versatile tool for droplet manipulation and characterisation. Trapping single aerosol droplets is facilitated by using annular rather than conventional Gaussian beams, as will be demonstrated, with significant advantages in increasing the size range of trappable droplets, and improving their axial localisation. These improvements will be demonstrated experimentally with an in-depth comparison of Gaussian and annular beam trapping. These enhancements are also verified theoretically using a model developed by Burnham and McGloin, showing excellent agreement with experimental results. Ionic liquids, defined as organic salts with melting points below room temperature, are another area of great contemporary interest. They are highly tunable and so have been referred to as "designer solvents", and also have important applications as "green" solvents in organic chemistry. Trapping particles within these novel liquids allows a micro-rheological investigation of their properties to be conducted. This is demonstrated by determining the temperature dependent viscosity changes of these media, showing excellent agreement with previous macro-rheological studies. In addition, hydrodynamic effects such as Faxen's correction to viscous drag in proximity to a surface, and hydrodynamic coupling between pairs of colloids trapped in ionic liquids are demonstrated. Following these single and dual particle studies, this thesis continues with an investigation of the structures and dynamics of optically bound matter formed of larger numbers of particles. The behaviour of these optically bound structures is particularly sensitive to the number of particles involved, and so a counter-propagating evanescent field trap in conjunction with an inverted optical tweezers setup is utilised in order to controllably assemble these structures and study the factors affecting their behaviour. Initially one-dimensional chains of optically bound 3.5 um diameter silica particles are studied, allowing an implementation of Generalized Lorentz-Mie Theory (GLMT) to be developed through collaboration with Dr. Jonathan Taylor of The University of Glasgow. Experimental and theoretical insights allow further understanding of the processes involved in the formation of these structures. Having studied the behaviour of 3.5 um diameter silica particles in a counter-propagating evanescent wave trap, the effects of changing particle size and refractive index are presented by using smaller silica and melamine particles. These results are explained in terms of the increased importance of interference fringes in determining the arrangement of the optically bound structures of smaller particles, and due to the increased interaction of the melamine particles with the evanescent field as a result of the larger refractive index contrast between them and the trapping medium. The thesis then concludes with a study of the dynamics of the previously presented optically bound chains. Initially the diffusion of single particles in the evanescent field is compared to their freely-diffusing behaviour, quantifying the confining effect of the field. The addition of particles to the field then allows the diffusive behaviour to be studied as a function of particle number, and understood in terms of on-axis confinement by adjacent particles. The tilting of these optically bound chains relative to the inter-beam axis is also explored as a function of particle number, as is the rigidity of these chains. Finally a more complex, dynamic effect is presented, dubbed "Newton's Cradle", in which particles are ejected from the ends of the chains before returning and repeating this process. This behaviour is understood by utilising the previously developed GLMT simulations.

Όταν ηλεκρομαγνητική (ΗΜ) ακτινοβολία, προερχόμενη από κάποια πηγή, προσπίπτει σε σύνολο από σωμάτια τότε λαμβάνουν χώρα δύο φαινόμενα. Πρώτον, ασκούνται δυνάμεις στα σωμάτια οι οποίες οφείλονται αποκλειστικά στην σκέδαση της ΗΜ ακτινοβολίας της πηγής από αυτά. Οι δυνάμεις αυτές ονομάζονται Optical Trapping Forces. Δεύτερον, τα ίδια τα σωμάτια σκεδάζοντας την ΗΜ ακτινοβολία της πηγής, λειτουργούν και αυτά ως πηγές ακτινοβολίας. Έτσι ασκούν δυνάμεις το ένα στο άλλο. Οι δυνάμεις αυτές ονομάζονται Optical Binding Forces. H παράλληλη δράση των δύο αυτών ειδών δυνάμεων έχει ως αποτέλεσμα την δημιουργία ευσταθών δομών από τα σωμάτια. Προκειμένου την θεωρητική πρόβλεψη των δομών που αναπτύσσονται, χρειαζόμαστε έναν ταχύτατο αλγόριθμο υπολογισμού των δυνάμεων. Ο πιο ταχύς αλγόριθμος θα είναι το αποτέλεσμα της εύρεσης ενός αναλυτικού τύπου υπολογισμού των δυνάμεων. Η κατασκευή και η παρουσίαση του αναλυτικού τύπου αυτού είναι και το περιεχόμενο της εργασίας που ακολουθεί. / When the electromagnetic radiation, originating from a source, meets an ensemble of particles, there are two phenomena which take place. First, there are forces acting on these particles due exclusively to the scattering of the electromagnetic radiation from the particles. These are the so-called “Optical Trapping Forces”. Second, particles themselves act as sources of radiation since they scatter the radiation, and they exert forces one to another. These are the so-called “Optical Binding Forces”. The coexistence of these two different forces results in the creation of stable structures where the particles are self-organized. To achieve the theoretical prediction of these structures, we need a very efficient algorithm to calculate the forces. The fastest possible and thus more efficient algorithm originates from the analytical formula of the forces. The construction and the solution of the forces analytical formula is the content of this research work.

Studium chování opticky zachycených částic nám umožňuje porozumět základním fyzikálním jevům plynoucím z interakce světla a hmoty. Předkládaná práce podává vysvětlení zesílení tažné síly působící na opticky svázané částice ve strukturovaném světelném poli, tzv. tažném svazku. Ukazujeme, že pohyb dvou opticky svázaných objektů v tažném svazku je silně závislý na jejich vzájemné vzdálenosti a prostorové orientaci, což rozšiřuje možnosti manipulace hmoty pomocí světla. Následně se práce zaměřuje na levitaci opticky zachycených částic ve vakuu. Představujeme novou metodologii na charakterizaci vlastností slabě nelinearního Duffingova oscilátoru reprezentovaného opticky levitující částicí. Metoda je založena na průměrování trajektorií s určitou počáteční pozicí ve fázovém prostoru sestávajícím z polohy a rychlosti částice a poskytuje informaci o parametrech oscilátoru přímo ze zaznamenaného pohybu. Náš inovativní postup je srovnán s běžně užívanou metodou založenou na analýze spektrální hustoty polohy částice a za využití numerických simulací ukazujeme její použitelnost i v nízkých tlacích, kde nelinearita hraje významnou roli.

Broadband spectral content is required to support ultrashort pulses. However this broadband content is subject to dispersion and hence the pulse duration of corresponding ultrashort pulses may be stretched accordingly. I used a commercially-available adaptive ultrashort pulse shaper featuring multiphoton intrapulse interference phase scan technology to characterise and compensate for the dispersion of the optical system in situ and conducted experimental and theoretical studies in various inter-linked topics relating to the light-matter interaction. Firstly, I examined the role of broadband ultrashort pulses in novel light-matter interacting systems involving optically co-trapped particle systems in which inter-particle light scattering occurs between optically-bound particles. Secondly, I delivered dispersion-compensated broadband ultrashort pulses in a dispersive microscope system to investigate the role of pulse duration in a biological light-matter interaction involving laser-induced cell membrane permeabilisation through linear and nonlinear optical absorption. Finally, I examined some of the propagation characteristics of broadband ultrashort pulse propagation using a computer-controlled spatial light modulator. The propagation characteristics of ultrashort pulses is of paramount importance for defining the light-matter interaction in systems. The ability to control ultrashort pulse propagation by using adaptive dispersion compensation enables chirp-free ultrashort pulses to be used in experiments requiring the shortest possible pulses for a specified spectral bandwidth. Ultrashort pulsed beams may be configured to provide high peak intensities over long propagation lengths, for example, using novel beam shapes such as Bessel-type beams, which has applications in biological light-matter interactions including phototransfection based on laser-induced cell membrane permeabilisation. The need for precise positioning of the beam focus on the cell membrane becomes less strenuous by virtue of the spatial properties of the Bessel beam. Dispersion compensation can be used to control the temporal properties of ultrashort pulses thus permitting, for example, a high peak intensity to be maintained along the length of a Bessel beam, thereby reducing the pulse energy required to permeabilise the cell membrane and potentially reduce damage therein.