Steady state of overdamped particles in the non-conservative force field of a simple non-linear model of optical trap

Abstract

Abstract Optically trapped particles are often subject to a non-conservative scattering force arising from radiation pressure. In this paper, we present an exact solution for the steady state statistics of an overdamped Brownian particle subjected to a commonly used force field model for an optical trap. The model is the simplest of its kind that takes into account non-conservative forces. In particular, we present the exact results for certain marginals of the full three-dimensional steady state probability distribution, in addition to results for the toroidal probability currents that are present in the steady state, as well as for the circulation of these currents. Our analytical results are confirmed by numerical solution of the steady state Fokker–Planck equation.