Separation of a gas mixture by means of optical trapping of the gas

Contributions of barodiffusion and thermodiffusion to separation of a methane–helium mixture are calculated with the use of a laser-induced interferential lattice with a non-resonant frequency. The process of separation is studied by the direct simulation Monte Carlo method of rarefied gas flows, which can be considered as a numerical method of the stochastic solution of the Boltzmann equation. An analysis of modeling results shows that barodiffusion arising under optical radiation owing to the influence of ponderomotive forces on the species of the gas mixture exerts a significant effect during separation of the gas mixture by means of optical trapping, in addition to the selective action of the lattice. The effect of thermodiffusion caused by heating of the mixture by the optical lattice is found to be significant only in peripheral areas of the lattice.