OPTICAL TWEEZERS: THE

FORCE OF LIGHT
Introduction
General description
Working
Vedio of traping particle
Diagrams of instrument
Application
INTRODUCTION
Optical tweezers:
Light can exert forces on small dielectric
objects1, A tightly focused beam of light can
trap micron-sized objects, such as latex beads.
This optical trapping principle has found
many applications in chemistry, physics and
biology. It has found its most prominent use in
biophysics, because it allows the manipulation
(like with a tweezers) of single biomolecules.
For example, optical tweezers have been used
to measure the elasticity
OPTICAL TWEEZERS ?
An optical tweezer is a scientific instrument that
uses a focused laser beam to provide an attractive
or repulsive force, depending on the index mismatch
(typically on the order of piconewtons) to physically
hold and move microscopic dielectric objects. Optical
tweezers have been particularly successful in
studying a variety of biological systems in recent
years.
Dielectric objects are attracted to the center of the
beam, slightly above the beam waist, as described
in the text. The force applied on the object depends
linearly on its displacement from the trap center
5
Trapping a particle with light
6
Optical Tweezers
rolf
WORKING OF TWEEZER
The Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm wavelength) is the
most common laser choice because biological
specimens
are most transparent to laser wavelengths
around 1000 nm. This assures as low an
absorption
coefficient as possible, minimizing damage to
the specimen, sometimes referred to as
opticution.
Perhaps the most important consideration in
optical
tweezer design is the choice of the objective.
WORKING
Basic Components
Objective Lens
L
2
L
3
L
1

f
1
+ f
2
f
3
16 cm
Image created from Physlet at
http://webphysics.davidson.edu/Course_Material/Py230L/optics/lenses.htm Physlet by Dr. Wolfgang
Christian and Mike Lee
Laser
12
Schematic diagram
Laser
Beam expander
White Light Source
Cell
CCD CCD
Tip
Objective
Color Filter
Laser line mirror
Laser line mirror
13
Dual beam tweezer design
Kinesin motor motion
RAY OPTI CS RADI ATI ON
PATTERN
A laser beam is expanded and
collimated. This collimated
beam is directed through a
microscope objective into a
flow cell. Spheres with a
higher index of refraction than
the medium in the cell (water)
will be trapped at the focus of
the beam.
16
APPLICATIONS

We will calibrate the strength of an optical trap (Optical Tweezer)

Optical Tweezers may be used to measure very small forces (femtoNewton,
10
-15
N)

Applications include Biophysics




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