Enhanced optical magnetism for reversed optical binding forces between silicon nanoparticles in the visible region.

We perform a comprehensive numerical analysis on the optical binding forces of a multiple-resonant silicon nanodimer induced by the normal illumination of a plane wave in the visible region. The silicon nanodimer provides either repulsive or attractive forces in water while providing only attractive forces in air. The enhancement of the magnetic dipole mode is attributed to the generation of repulsive forces. The sign (attractive/repulsive) and the amplitude of the optical forces are controlled by incident polarization and separation distance between the silicon nanoparticles. These optomechanical effects demonstrate a key step toward the optical sorting and assembly of silicon nanoparticles.