Optical Control Of Thermocapillary Effects In Complex Nanofluids

We study the strong coupling of light and nanoparticle suspensions and their surface tension effect in capillaries. We show experimentally and theoretically that increasing the intensity of a narrow laser beam passing through a capillary far away from the surface results in a significant decrease in the fluid level. The underlying mechanism relies on light-induced redistribution of nanoparticles in the bulk and the surface of the fluid, facilitating continuous optical control over the surface position. The experiments manifest optical control from afar over properties of fluid surfaces. © 2009 The American Physical Society