Laser manipulation of airborne microparticles behind non-transparent obstacles with the help of circular Airy beams.

An approach for the realization of three-dimensional laser manipulation of agglomerations of carbon nanoparticles behind non-transparent obstacles in the air is proposed and investigated. The approach is based on the use of circular Airy beams (CABs), which are structured laser beams with self-healing and autofocusing properties. The possibility to trap and guide both single and multiple microparticles in the case of a non-distorted CAB and a CAB distorted by an on-axis metal rod is demonstrated. We believe that these results open new possibilities for the control of trapped particles that are out of sight and hidden by different obstacles.