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.     

Simple and high efficient graded-index multimode fiber tweezers:simulation and experiment

We propose and demonstrate a novel single fiber optical tweezer based on a graded-index multimode fiber(GIMMF), which works with a free length GIMMF(30 cm). We achieve a three-dimensional stable trap of yeast cells by using the GIMMF optical tweezers. Compared with the single-mode fiber optical tweezers,the GIMMF optical tweezers possess large optical trapping forces. Owing to the freedom of the GIMMF length,the fabrication of the GIMMF optical tweezers is simple, repeatable, and highly efficient. The GIMMF tweezers have the penitential to become a new member of the single fiber optical tweezers family and have a wide range of applications in the medical and biological cytology fields.     

Systematical study of the trapping forces of optical tweezers formed by different types of optical ring beams

The technique of optical tweezers has been improved a lot since its invention, which extends the application fields of optical tweezers. Besides the conventionally used Gaussian beams, different types of ring beams have also been used to form optical tweezers for different purposes. The two typical kinds of ring beams used in optical tweezers are the hollow Gaussian beam and Laguerre--Gaussian (LG) beam. Both theoretical computation and experiments have shown that the axial trapping force is improved for the ring beams compared with the Gaussian beam, and hence the trapping stability is improved, although the transverse trapping forces of ring beams are smaller than that of Gaussian beam. However, no systematic study on the trapping forces of ring beam has ever been discussed. In this article, we will investigate the axial and transverse trapping forces of different types of ring beams with different parameters systematically, by numerical computation in which the ray optics model is adopted. The spherical aberration caused by the refractive index mismatch between oil and water is also considered in the article. The trapping forces for different objectives that obey the sine condition and tangent condition are also compared with each other. The result of systematical calculation will be useful for the applications of optical tweezers formed by different types of ring beams.     

A study of multi-trapping of tapered-tip single fiber optical tweezers

We develop a pair of tapered-tip single fiber optical tweezers, and study its multi-trapping characteristic. The finite difference time domain method is employed to simulate the trapping force characteristic of this pair of single fiber optical tweezers, and the results show that the number of trapped particles depends on the refractive index and the size of the particles. The trapping force of this pair of tapered-tip single fiber optical tweezers is calibrated by the experimental method, and the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical calculation results. The multi-trapping capability realized by the tapered-tip single fiber optical tweezers will be practical and useful for applications in biomedical research fields.     

远场光钳与近场光钳的发展

以经典光学为基础的光钳技术(又称"光镊")在生物、物理和化学等领域得到了广泛的发展和应用,但是该技术受到高倍显微物镜的尺寸和光学衍射极限等多种因素的制约,从而限制了其进一步发展。而远场光纤光钳和近场光钳技术,从不同方面克服了传统光钳的局限。回顾了传统光钳、远场光纤光钳和近场光钳的发展,着重讨论了各种方法的工作原理、实验方法和技术性能,对这几种光钳技术进行了深入地总结和细致地比较。     

光镊力影响因素的计算分析

运用基于T矩阵算法的开源光镊计算工具包对可能影响光镊力的微粒尺寸、相对折射率以及光束模式进行了研究,计算结果表明,这三方面因素都会对光镊力产生显著影响,微粒直径与波长相等、相对折射率尽可能大时选择恰当的光束模式能够产生最佳的光镊捕获效果.     

泽尼克多项式校正全息阵列光镊像差的实验研究

像差会影响光镊对粒子的捕获效果. 全息阵列光镊中, 像差不仅来自光学元件, 由特定算法设计的光阱相位片也会在光路中引入像差. 本文通过液晶空间光调制器加载泽尼克多项式相位图, 对全息阵列光镊中由光栅透镜组型算法引起的像差进行校正. 结果显示: 利用三阶泽尼克多项式可有效消除光路中由光栅透镜组型算法引 起的慧差, 使得捕获2 μm聚苯乙烯小球的阵列光阱刚度提高了约40%; 对比不同项的像差校正结果发现, 全息阵列光镊中由算法引起的慧差 与光学元件引起的像差一样, 也会对阵列光阱的捕获效果产生较大影响; 同时根据一阶像差校正结果可得光栅透镜 组型算法对于一阶泽尼克像差具有鲁棒性. 实验结果表明, 对全息阵列光镊中由 算法引起的像差进行校正, 对于提高光阱的捕获效果和深化对算法特性的认识都具有重要意义.     

时域有限差分法数值仿真单光镊中微球受到的光阱力

本文采用三维时域有限差分法(FDTD)和Maxwell应力张量法建立了单光镊在焦点附近俘获球形微粒的光阱力模型,采用基于球矢量波函数(VSWF)的五阶高斯光源作为仿真光源,得到了准确的光场传播.讨论了光源的波长、束腰、偏振态和微球的半径、折射率对光阱力的影响,分析了在单光镊俘获微球时,邻近微球对光阱力的影响.特别研究了光源的偏振态对微球所受光阱力的作用效果,仿真结果表明圆偏振光比线偏振光对微球的俘获力更大;被光镊稳定俘获的微球,会受到邻近微球干扰,失去平衡状态,改变光源的偏振态可以改变微球的受力状态. 关键词： 光镊 光阱力 介质微球 时域有限差分法(FDTD)     

近场光镊技术研究新进展

光镊技术,又称光学捕获技术,它是利用光的辐射压力来捕获和操纵包括电介质颗粒、生物细胞及生物大分子在内的微小粒子的。近场光镊技术利用近场光学倏逝场随距离急剧衰减的特征,可显著地降低捕获粒子的尺寸,实现纳米捕获。追踪了近场光镊技术的最新进展,包括全内反射相干倏逝场、近场光学镀膜光纤探针尖、激光照明金属探针尖和聚焦倏逝场用于近场光学捕获,并对其进行了比较,分析了它们存在的主要问题和未来发展方向。     

利用光镊计算工具箱实现光镊系统的参量评价

光镊所捕获的微球尺度常常落在中间尺度上,导致相关参量难于计算.OTT1光镊工具箱是一种基于广义Lorenz-Mie理论的T-matrix方法,它的发展使得对光镊系统的详细计算和评价成为可能.本文对光镊的轴向捕获特性曲线、线性性和刚度,以及杜克系列微球的互换性做了计算和评价.结果表明:光镊所用物镜的数值孔径越接近水的折射率捕获效果越好;0.8~1.2 μm的聚苯乙烯微球组成的光镊刚度较大;直径在2 μm以下的聚苯乙烯微球组成的光镊线性度较好;0.8~2 μm的Duke系列聚苯乙烯微球的互换性较好,便于纳米光镊的修正与实验;要避免米共振微球的直径要在2.5 μm以下.     

Improvement of Transverse Trapping Efficiency of Optical Tweezers

Transverse trapping efficiency of optical tweezers is important in many force measurement applications. For improving the transverse trapping efficiency, we propose a simple scheme in which the Gaussian beam does not fully cover the aperture of the objective. Both experiment and theoretical simulation qualitatively demonstrate the scheme. It is expected that the results will be useful for the design of optical tweezers.     

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.     

Trapping multiple particles in single optical tweezers

Optical trapping of multiple particles in three dimensions in a single inverted optical tweezers is investigated. The effect of trapping pairs of beads on the voltage signal recorded by a quadrant photo diode detector is examined, with particular emphasise on its power spectral density. It is found that trapped pairs of beads could be mistaken for single beads in a trap of half the strength. Stokes drag measurements reveal that both beads of the pair are confined less than a single particle in the same trap and that the quadrant signal provides some information of their mean displacements.     

Surface plasmon optical tweezers: tunable optical manipulation in the femtonewton range

We present a quantitative analysis of 2D surface plasmon based optical tweezers able to trap microcolloids at a patterned metal surface under low laser intensity. Photonic force microscopy is used to assess the properties of surface plasmon traps, such as confinement and stiffness, revealing stable trapping with forces in the range of a few tens of femtonewtons. We also investigate the specificities of surface plasmon tweezers with respect to conventional 3D tweezers responsible for their selectivity to the trapped specimen's size. The accurate engineering of the trapping properties through the adjustment of the illumination parameters opens new perspectives in the realization of future optically driven on-a-chip devices.     

Optical tweezers technique and its applications

Since their advent in the 1980s,optical tweezers have attracted more and more attention due to their unique non-contact and non-invasion characteristics and their wide applications in physics,biology,chemistry,medical science and nanoscience.In this paper,we introduce the basic principle,the history and typical applications of optical tweezers and review our recent experimental works on the development and application of optical tweezers technique.We will discuss in detail several technological issues,including high precision displacement and force measurement in single-trap and dual-trap optical tweezers,multi-trap optical tweezers with each trap independently and freely controlled by means of space light modulator,and incorporation of cylindrical vector optical beams to build diversified optical tweezers beyond the conventional Gaussian-beam optical tweezers.We will address the application of these optical tweezers techniques to study biophysical problems such as mechanical deformation of cell membrane and binding energy between plant microtubule and microtubule associated proteins.Finally we present application of the optical tweezers technique for trapping,transporting,and patterning of metallic nanoparticles,which can be harnessed to manipulate surface plasmon resonance properties of these nanoparticles.     

光纤探针型近场光镊光阱力特性研究

基于动量守恒原理,结合麦克斯韦应力张量和三维时域有限差分方法,建立了近场空间内激光光镊对纳米微粒的光阱力计算模型.分析了光纤探针型近场光镊的近场分布以及操作纳米微粒时各轴向光阱力的分布情况,并探讨了光纤探针尖端的捕获尺寸、捕获位置和操作稳定性.结果表明:微粒应处于光纤探针针尖的近场空间内才可实现稳定可靠的纳米操作,不同尺寸的微粒具有不同的捕获效果,且随初始位置的不同微粒的捕获位置亦不同.计算结果为激光近场光镊纳米操作装置的设计和制造提供了理论基础.     

Optical travelator: transport and dynamic sorting of colloidal microspheres with an asymmetrical line optical tweezers

We report the transport, funnelling and dynamic sorting of colloidal microspheres in an aqueous suspension using line optical tweezers with asymmetrical intensity profiles. The line tweezers readily trapped and propelled the microspheres along the length of the line tweezers. Using this simple technique, transporting and funnelling of microspheres within a microscopic region were demonstrated. To illustrate the dynamic particle-sorting capability of the line tweezers, a binary colloidal system comprising of microspheres with diameters of 1.1 μm and 3.2 μm were driven past the line tweezers by electrophoresis. As the optical trapping force is dependent on the size of the microspheres, the line tweezers was able to change the path of the larger spheres while exerting little influence on the smaller spheres thus sorting the two types of microspheres. At optimized laser power and flow rate of microspheres, sorting efficiency greater than 90% has been achieved. PACS 42.15.Eq; 87.80.Cc; 87.80.Fe; 82.70.Dd     

光镊在生命科学中的应用

由于光镊具有无直接接触、无损伤等诸多优点,且光镊产生的力在皮牛顿量级,正好落在生物大分子相互作用力的范围,所以光镊在生物大分子相互作用测量方面取得了越来越广泛的应用.文章详细介绍了光镊的出现、发展过程以及在生命科学中代表性应用结果.这些结果表明,将光镊应用在生命科学领域,可以揭示或证实许多以前不曾深刻了解的生物大分子的活动规律与机制.     

一种用于细胞操作的单光纤光镊研究

采用一种抛物线形光纤针作为基本器件,设计制作了单光纤光镊系统.用时域有限差分（Finite Difference Time Domain,FDTD）的方法仿真了抛物线型光纤探针的出射场,并在稳态场下通过对麦克斯韦应力张量积分求出不同介质球半径和折射率情况下,介质球受到的横向和纵向光作用力.实验中此单光纤光镊系统实现了对水中酵母细胞的空间捕获,并且结合两个抛物线形光纤针实现了酵母细胞在两个光势阱中的转移交接.这种单光纤光镊系统结构简单、紧凑,操纵灵活,便于调整.可以适应更多的生物细胞和生物分子的光微操作需求.     

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。