Sizing of individual optically levitated evaporating droplets by measurement of resonances in the polarization ratio

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Abstract
Resonances observed in the polarization ratio of light scattered at 90° from single optically levitated evaporating droplets are shown to provide a means for continuous high-resolution monitoring of droplet size. Due to the distinctive character of the individual features in the polarization ratio, each experimentally measured feature could be clearly identified with a specific calculated one. For evaporating droplets of glycerol from 6.6 to 11.5 μm in diameter, the sharp features which appeared in the calculations at ∼0.03-μm intervals allowed measurement of droplet diameter to a resolution of 0.003 μm.