Long-Range One-Dimensional Longitudinal Optical Binding

We create extended longitudinally optically bound chains of microparticles with the use of counterpropagating ``nondiffracting'' light fields, the so-called Bessel beams. The beam homogeneity and extended propagation range allow the creation of $200\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ long chains of organized microparticles. We observe short-range multistability within a single chain and long-range multistability between several distinct chains. Our observations are supported by theoretical results of the coupled dipole method.