  We propose a theoretical study on the electromagnetic forces resulting from
the superposition of a TE and TM plane waves interacting with a sphere.
Specifically, we first show that, under such an illumination condition, the
sphere is subjected to a force transverse to the propagation direction of the
waves. We then analyze the physical origin of this counter-intuitive behavior
using a multipolar decomposition of the electromagnetic modes involved in that
scattering process. This analysis reveals that interference effects, due to the
two-wave illumination, lead to a Kerker-like asymmetric scattering behavior
resulting in this peculiar transverse force.
