Manipulation of Nanoparticles Using Dark-Field-Illumination Optical Tweezers with Compensating Spherical Aberration

Based on our previous investigation of optical tweezers with dark field illumination [Chin. Phys. Left. 25（2008）329] nanoparticles at large trap depth are better viewed in wide field and real time for a long time, but with poor forces. Here we present the mismatched tube length to compensate for spherical aberration of an oil-immersion objective in a glass-water interface in an optical tweezers system for manipulating nanoparticles. In this way, the critical power of stable trapping particles is measured at different trap depths. It is found that trap depth is enlarged for trapping nanoparticles and trapping forces are enhanced at large trap depth. According to the measurement, 70-nm particles are manipulated in three dimensions and observed clearly at large appropriate depth. This will expand applications of optical tweezers in a nanometre-scale colloidal system.     

Optical doughnut for optical tweezers

We describe novel optical doughnuts for optical tweezers. With new phase functions, the proposed doughnut beams have dark cores in specified shapes. The technique can offer a simple method for creating a variety of beam shapes to match the trapped objects. One can rotate the beams directly by revolving their phase structures about their axes on the initial plane. The technique for generating the traditional Laguerre-Gaussian beam can be used to create these novel beams.     

Manipulation on human red blood cells with femtosecond optical tweezers

Different types of femtosecond optical tweezers have become a powerful tool in the modern biological field. However, how to control the irregular targets, including biological cells, using femtosecond optical tweezers remains to be explored. In this study, human red blood cells (hRBCs) are manipulated with femtosecond optical tweezers, and their states under different laser powers are investigated. The results indicate that optical potential traps only can capture the edge of hRBCs under the laser power from 1.4 to 2.8 mW, while it can make hRBCs turn over with the laser power more than 2.8 roW. It is suggested that femtosecond optical tweezers could not only manipulate biological cells, but also subtly control its states by adjusting the laser power.     

Study of Dark-Hollow Beams Generated with Different Multimode Fibres

A dark-hollow beam （DHB） is generated by a coupfing of a single fundamental mode He-Ne laser beam with a misalignment multimode fibre （MMF） in a special way. Effects of the misalignment angle, diameter and length of the MMF are studied. The generated DHBs can be used for guiding and trapping of atoms, manipulating particles, or as optical tweezers.     

激光捕获技术及其发展

激光捕获技术是利用光辐射力来捕捉、移动和操纵微粒的先进技术。光镊即单光束梯度力光阱是通过在高度会聚的激光束束腰附近所产生的极高的场强梯度来形成皮牛顿量级的力,可以三维地捕获和操纵微小粒子。阐述了激光捕获技术的模型和原理以及系统的基本结构;追踪了激光捕获技术的最新研究进展;介绍了非高斯型光阱、光纤光阱和全息光镊等几种特殊形式,并分析了每种形式的特点。展望了激光捕获技术的发展前景。     

有限远共轭显微镜光镊设计和误差分析

光镊是研究单分子生物物理特性的独特工具, 因而光镊设备的研发是一个极为重要的课题. 本文根据矩阵光学, 对基于有限远共轭显微镜的光镊操控光路进行计算, 得出了阱位径向操控和轴向操控方程, 并分析了光束调控系统、 共焦系统后置透镜和耦合透镜安装位置误差及物镜轴向位置调整对光镊阱位径向及轴向操控精度的影响. 计算结果显示, 当物镜初级像面和耦合透镜像方焦面完全重合, 光束调控系统和耦合透镜的距离误差对阱位径向和轴向操控精度没有影响. 光镊系统元器件定位不准时, 基于无限远共轭显微镜光镊的阱位径向操控误差和轴向操控误差都小于基于有限远共轭显微镜光镊的阱位径向操控误差和轴向操控误差. 当光镊耦合透镜定位误差控制在小于10 mm时, 基于有限远共轭显微镜光镊的径向和轴向操控误差分别小于5.9%和11.4%, 有限远共轭显微镜仍然存在改造为光镊的价值.本文理论为基于有限远共轭显微镜的光镊设计、改造和操控提供理论和实验指导. 关键词： 光镊 光学设计 矩阵 误差     

Controlled rotation and orientation of rubrene particles and Escherichia coli using optical tweezers

Optical trapping and rotating of suspended micro-sized rubrene particles were performed using optical tweezers with circularly polarized light. The experimental results show that the rotation speed of the rubrene particles is proportional to the laser power, and the orientation of the rubrene particles can be controlled by the optical tweezers with linearly polarized light. Interestingly, by combining with the rubrene particle, the Escherichia coli (E. coli) can be rotated and oriented by optical tweezers. However, the rotating and orientating are mainly determined by the characteristics of rubrene particles. Our experiment provides a simple and convenient way to orient biological particles even if they are not sensitive to the polarization of the laser beam. Moreover, the rubrene can emit strong fluorescence when excited by the laser at the wavelength of 532 nm, and which can be potential applied to manipulate other particles with the fluorescence characteristics.     

INCREASING TRANSVERSE STABILITY OF OPTICAL TWEEZERS BY USING DUAL-GAUSSIAN BEAM PROFILE

Trapping force was calculated with a homogeneous dielectric sphere model. Results indicate that the transverse trapping force of optical tweezers can be increased effectively through modifying laser beam profile while the axial stability of the system is still assured. This is quite important when optical tweezers are applied to the precise measurements for single biological molecule.     

Calibration of optical tweezers based on acousto-optic deflector and field programmable gate array

Accurate calibrations of stiffness and position are crucial to the quantitative measurement with optical tweezers. In this paper, we present a new calibration scheme for optical tweezers including stiffness and position calibrations. In our system, acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) are used as laser beam manipulating component. The AODs are controlled by a field programmable gate array (FPGA) connected to a computer using universal serial bus (USB) communication mode. Our results agree well with the present theory and other experimental results.     

Optical tweezers for confocal microscopy

In confocal laser scanning microscopes (CLSMs), lasers can be used for image formation as well as tools for the manipulation of microscopic objects. In the latter case, in addition to the imaging lasers, the light of an extra laser has to be focused into the object plane of the CLSM, for example as optical tweezers. Imaging as well as trapping by optical tweezers can be done using the same objective lens. In this case, z-sectioning for 3D imaging shifts the optical tweezers with the focal plane of the objective along the optical axis, so that a trapped object remains positioned in the focal plane. Consequently, 3D imaging of trapped objects is impossible without further measures. We present an experimental set-up keeping the axial trapping position of the optical tweezers at its intended position whilst the focal plane can be axially shifted over a distance of about 15 μm. It is based on fast-moving correctional optics synchronized with the objective movement. First examples of application are the 3D imaging of chloroplasts of Elodea densa (Canadian waterweed) in a vigorous cytoplasmic streaming and the displacement of zymogen granules in pancreatic cancer cells (AR42 J). Received: 24 March 2000 / Revised version: 23 June 2000 / Published online: 11 October 2000     

一种新空心光束的理论及实验研究

提出了一种用来描述空心光束的新理论模型——空心高斯光束模型，通过控制光束参数可以方便地调制空心光束黑斑的大小.导出了空心高斯光束经傍轴光学系统的解析传输变换公式.利用导出的公式计算分析了空心高斯光束在自由空间的传输特性.在实验上利用矩阵本征值方法设计了能输出空心高斯光束的光学谐振腔，对实验上得到的空心高斯光束进行了传输特性的研究.结果表明，理论和实验相吻合.该空心高斯光束产生的光势阱为控制冷原子提供了一条新途径. 关键词： 空心高斯光束 光学谐振腔 传输特性     

Trapping cavitation bubbles with a self-focused laser beam

We observed that laser-induced cavitation bubbles in water can be trapped in a self-focused laser beam. Both optical imaging and acoustic detection have been utilized to confirm bubble trapping. Transverse and longitudinal trapping forces were measured to be as large as 87 and 11 pN, respectively. This result is contrary to conventional wisdom, since the mechanism of trapping in conventional optical tweezers implies that a low-index particle (a bubble being the limiting case) should be antitrapped.     

小型化可调光镊设计

光镊利用强会聚激光对微粒产生的梯度力来捕获微粒,可以进行无损、远程操控,同时具有皮牛精度的测力特性,已经成为物理学、生命科学和胶体化学等研究领域中不可缺少的研究工具。光镊效应可以表现微小的光子动量和角动量,是物理学的重要教学工具。本文根据高斯光束传播和变换规律,设计具有稳定捕获性能的最小化光镊,并给出了典型参数。光镊系统由捕获激光、光束耦合系统、倒置生物显微镜和大数值孔径物镜组成,成像系统由物镜、摄影目镜和CCD相机组成。本光镊系统具有紧凑特性,同时通过保持物镜后瞳充满度来实现稳定捕获。在该最小光镊系统上,可以根据用户需求增加光镊阱位操控系统、刚度调节系统和其他辅助设备以满足不同操控要求,可以很好地满足科研和教学需求。     

基于扭曲向列液晶空间光调制器的矢量光生成

基于扭曲向列型液晶空间光调制器的旋光特性, 根据空间光调制器所加电压和加载相位与旋光角度的对应关系, 设计了可以生成多种涡旋矢量光的通用光路. 利用该原理和光路系统, 在实验上生成了多种携带轴对称相位的矢量光以及图案般复杂的矢量光, 观察和检测了它们的偏振特性, 获得了较好的实验结果. 并且模拟了具有涡旋相位的矢量光的紧聚焦场, 分析了它们的紧聚焦特性. 由于这种生成矢量光的方法光路装置简单、操作容易, 产生矢量光的过程中几乎不损失能量, 并且不存在聚焦过程, 因此在如强激光矢量光束与物质相互作用、激光加速等方面具有重要的应用潜力.     

Coherent laser-induced optical behaviors in three-coupled-quantum wells and their application to terahertz signal detection

We investigate quantum optical behaviors of a weak-probe laser field in an asymmetric semiconductor three-coupled-quantum wells (TCQW) structure based on intersubband transitions (ISBTs) via switch-on/off of terahertz (TH) signal radiation under the application of a control laser field. A scheme for TH signal detection and its strength measurement based on this probe absorption characteristic also are put forward, where TH signal field does not interact directly with electron, but significantly affects the coherent optical absorption properties of such a weak-probe laser field. Consequently, the proposed TCQW nanostructure may be used for reducing and cancelling out the important thermionic dark current component in the process of TH signal detection, measurement and photodetector design.     

Tight focusing properties of radially polarized Lorentz–Gaussian beam

Focusing properties of radially polarized Lorentz–Gauss beam with one on-axis optical vortex was investigated by vector diffraction theory. Results show that intensity distribution in the focal region can be altered considerably by charge number of the optical vortex and the beam parameters. Many novel focal patterns may occur, Such as Peak-centered, donut focal shapes which is potentially useful in optical tweezers, material processing and laser printing.     

Shaping super-Gaussian beam through digital micro-mirror device

We have set up a novel system for shaping the Gaussian laser beams into super-Gaussian beams.The digital micro-mirror device(DMD)is able to modulate the laser light spatially through binary-amplitude modulation mechanism.With DMD,the irradiance of the laser beam can be redistributed flexibly and various beams with different intensity distribution can be produced.A super-Gaussian beam has been successfully shaped from the Gaussian beam with the use of DMD.This technique will be widely applied in lithography,quantum emulation and holographic optical tweezers which require precise control of beam profile.     

Velocity selective optical pumping and repumping effects with counter and copropagating laser radiations for D<Subscript>2</Subscript> lines of rubidium

The effects of a strong control or pump laser, counter propagating or copropagating with the probe beam, on the probe absorption spectra of ⁸⁵Rb and ⁸⁷Rb-D₂ transitions have been investigated inside a room temperature Rb vapour cell. In both cases a set of strong velocity selective resonance dips are observed at different velocities. Their movements across the Doppler broadened probe absorption profile have been studied for different lock frequencies of the control laser. These spectra are modified by optical pumping effects due to the presence of another hyperfine component of the ground state. A repumping laser, from the dark hyperfine component of the ground level transfers almost 75% of the atoms from the dark state to the pump probe cycle hence reducing the optical pumping effect. A numerical simulation is done to explain the observed spectra. The effect of a control laser on the Lamb dip spectrum of the probe laser has also been investigated. The control beam is used to improve the strength of a weak hyperfine dip on the Doppler broadened probe spectrum. The strength of the hyperfine dip increases by a factor of 3.2 in presence of the control laser. The observed dips show that pump-probe spectroscopy can be used as velocity selectors of atoms.     

Forces in optical tweezers with radially and azimuthally polarized trapping beams

It has been suggested that radially polarized beams can be used to improve the performance of optical tweezers, with reduced scattering force resulting from both the polarization and the dark center of the beam [Opt. Lett. 32, 1839 (2007)]. We calculate the forces on particles in such traps, using rigorous electromagnetic theory, comparing the results with azimuthally polarized beam, circularly polarized LG 01 beams, and Gaussian beams. Our results agree qualitatively with Opt. Lett. 32, 1839 (2007), but differ quantitatively.     

Focus shaping of cylindrically polarized vortex beams by a high numerical-aperture lens

The focus-shaping technique of a cylindrically polarized vortex beam by a high numerical-aperture lens is reported. Such a polarized vortex beam is decomposed into radial and azimuthal polarization. It is shown that the total intensity distribution in the focal region is dependent not only on the numerical-aperture maximal angle and the polarization rotation angle but also on the topological charge. By choosing the proper combination of parameters, the adjustably confined flat-topped focus and focal hole can be obtained. The focus-shaping technique may find wide applications, such as optical tweezers, laser printing and material processing.