Change in momentum proportional to the change in angular momentum of the particle

Abstract

Recently, Ahn et al. created dumbbell-shaped silica nanoparticles, then optically levitated in vacuum, capable of spinning at 300 billion revolutions per minute, driven only by the force and torque of laser. This is by far the fastest spinning object in the world. We show that in this system, there is an additional change in momentum (or extra force) that is proportional to the change in the angular momentum of the particle (or torque). We suggest that this effect also applies to microscopic particles. In the experiment of Ahn et al., although the angular momentum of the particle itself L is large, the rate of change of the angular momentum [Formula: see text] may not be large. Therefore, experimentally, the physical effects associated with changes in angular momentum can be verified either by applying very strong force and torque to the particle, or by allowing the axis of rotation of the particle to find a way to change very quickly.