Optimizing optical tweezing with directional scattering in composite microspheres

We demonstrate that achieving zero backward scattering (ZBS), i.e., the first Kerker condition, allows for optical tweezing of high-index microspheres, which cannot be trapped using standard techniques. For this purpose, we propose an alternative material platform based on composite metamaterials. By tuning the volume filling fraction of inclusions and the microsphere radius, stable trapping can be achieved provided that ZBS is combined with the condition for destructive interference between the fields reflected at the external and internal interfaces of the microsphere when located at the focal point. By using the Mie-Debye-spherical aberration theory, we also show that the ZBS condition is even more useful in realistic, standard optical tweezer setups, in which spherical aberration is unavoidable due to refraction at the interface between the glass slide and the water-filled sample. Altogether, our findings not only pave the way for possible new trapping designs and applications but also unveil the role of backscattering in the physics of optical tweezers.