Shaping linear and angular momentum transfer to matter

The transfer of optical momentum to particles is important because it allows for particular movements of matter in low resistance environments such as space, or in low inertia environments on a small scale such as those found in micrometre length scale volumes of fluids. Recent technological advancements have enabled investigations of optical angular momentum and activity across a wide range of size scales. We have a good understanding of the optical elements through careful modelling of both the light that reaches objects and the scattering they cause. We show how we can structure light to achieve bespoke manipulation of birefringent particles. This approach can be generalised to optimise reflection, anisotropy, and absorption to enable control and measurement of matter. I will show some results that we've recently generated to control the rotation of vaterite particles around the beam axis and orthogonal to the beam axis. To understand the methodology, optimisation and search of the field vector space will also need to be discussed.