Optical tweezers: 20 years on

2006 ◽  
Vol 364 (1849) ◽  
pp. 3521-3537 ◽  
Author(s):  
David McGloin
Keyword(s):  
Laser Beam ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Optical Tweezers ◽  
Optical Trap ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Optical Manipulation ◽  
Gradient Force ◽  
Seminal Paper ◽  
Single Beam ◽  
Dielectric Particles

In 1986, Arthur Ashkin and colleagues published a seminal paper in Optics Letters , ‘Observation of a single-beam gradient force optical trap for dielectric particles’ which outlined a technique for trapping micrometre-sized dielectric particles using a focused laser beam, a technology which is now termed optical tweezers. This paper will provide a background in optical manipulation technologies and an overview of the applications of optical tweezers. It contains some recent work on the optical manipulation of aerosols and concludes with a critical discussion of where the future might lead this maturing technology.

Optical tweezers as a tool to study cellular function

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 424-425
Author(s):  
Steven M. Block
Keyword(s):  
Optical Tweezers ◽  
Optical Trap ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Characteristic Size ◽  
Gradient Force ◽  
Single Beam ◽  
Temporal Precision ◽  
Dielectric Particles ◽  
Ligand Interactions ◽  
20 Nm

A single beam gradient force optical trap1-3, or “optical tweezers”, exerts forces on microscopic dielectric particles using a highly focused beam of laser light, and can achieve stable, three-dimensional trapping of such particles (for a review, see ref. 4). Using an infrared laser, calibratable forces in the piconewton (pN) range can be easily generated without causing significant damage to living biological specimens. Optical tweezers work through the microscope, without mechanical intrusion within sealed preparations, and can even reach directly inside transparent cells or organelles. Because it is formed by light, an optical trap can be controlled with very high spatial and temporal precision. Its characteristic size (i.e., its “grasp”) is approximately equal to the wavelength of light, but it can be used to capture and/or manipulate objects ranging in size from ∼20 nm to ∼100 mm. Biological preparations (e.g., cells, vesicles, organelles) or small particles (e.g., latex or silica microspheres, perhaps carrying reagents coupled to their surfaces) can be held, maneuvered, or released at will. Already, researchers have begun to contemplate experiments that were practically impossible just a few years ago. Some possibilities include: (1) the sorting and isolation of cells, vesicles, organelles, chromosomes, etc.; (2) the direct measurement of the mechanical properties of cytoskeletal assemblies, membranes, or membrane-bound elements; (3) measurement of the tiny forces produced by mechanoenzymes; (4) establishing cell-cell contacts, or measuring receptor-ligand interactions; (5) studying cellular rheology on the micrometer scale; (6) doing cellular microsurgery, membrane fusion, and building novel cellular (or noncellular) structures; (7) capturing and maintaining fragile biological structures away from vessel surfaces, in order to study them in isolation under optimal viewing conditions; (8) and much more! The principles by which optical tweezers work will be explained, and a videotape illustrating a number of experimental uses will be shown.

Observation of a single-beam gradient-force optical trap for dielectric particles in air

1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryota Omori ◽  
Tamiki Kobayashi ◽  
Atsuyuki Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Optical Trap ◽  
Gradient Force ◽  
Single Beam ◽  
Dielectric Particles

Observation of a single-beam gradient force optical trap for dielectric particles

1986 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 288 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ashkin ◽  
J. M. Dziedzic ◽  
J. E. Bjorkholm ◽  
Steven Chu
Keyword(s):  
Optical Trap ◽  
Gradient Force ◽  
Single Beam ◽  
Dielectric Particles

ORIENTATING MANIPULATION OF CYLINDRICAL PARTICLES WITH OPTICAL TWEEZERS

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (04) ◽  
pp. 387-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
XIUDONG SUN ◽  
XUECONG LI ◽  
JIANLONG ZHANG
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Laser Beam ◽  
Optical Tweezers ◽  
Optical Trap ◽  
Polarization Direction ◽  
Beam Shape ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Cylindrical Particles

Orientating manipulations of cylindrical particles were performed by optical tweezers. Vertical and horizontal manipulations of Escherichia coli (E. coli) were carried out by changing the trapping depth and the focused laser beam shape. It was found that carbon nanotubes bundles (CNTBs) could be rotated in the linear polarized optical trap until it orientated its long axis along the linear polarization direction of the laser beam. However, E.coli could not be orientated in this way. Corresponding mechanisms were discussed based on the anisomeric electric characters of CNTBs. These orientation technologies of cylindrical objects with optical trap have potential applications in assembling nano-electric devices.

Observation of the Binary Coalescence and Equilibration of Micrometer-Sized Droplets of Aqueous Aerosol in a Single-Beam Gradient-Force Optical Trap

2012 ◽  
Vol 116 (35) ◽  
pp. 8873-8884 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Power ◽  
J. P. Reid ◽  
S. Anand ◽  
D. McGloin ◽  
A. Almohamedi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Trap ◽  
Gradient Force ◽  
Single Beam
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