Thermophoresis-assisted micro-scale magnus effect in optical traps

The Magnus effect, commonly observed on the macroscale, has been considered to be negligible at the microfluidic limit. However, the thermophoretic effect at the microscale leads to a strong lift force that acts on the optically trapped and heated microparticles rotating in a liquid flow. This thermophoresis-assisted Magnus effect is experimentally observed and explained through the inhomogeneity of temperature distribution in the flow around the absorbing microparticles rotated by magnetic forces within the limit of ultralow Reynolds numbers.