Dynamic size tuning of multidimensional optically bound matter

We generate and dynamically control one-, two- and three-dimensional optically bound structures of soft matter in the geometry of counter-propagating incoherent laser beams. We report results for the Bessel, Gaussian, and Laguerre-Gaussian laser modes and particularly focus on the influence of the lateral dimensions of the beam profile on the resulting self-arranged optically bound structures. Employing the transfer of the orbital angular momentum of light in the Laguerre-Gaussian beams, we show that optically bound structures can conserve their spatial arrangements even while orbiting along the beam circumference. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3634007]