空间散斑场捕获大量吸光性颗粒及其红外显微观测

光镊技术被广泛应用于捕获和操纵微纳米尺寸颗粒,主要包括捕获水中透明性颗粒和空气中吸光性颗粒两种类型.本文用激光束照射毛玻璃散射片,透射光经透镜会聚后在透镜的像平面附近产生了主观散斑场.该散斑场为空间分布,包含大量的亮斑和暗斑.大量由亮斑包围的暗斑如同一个个空间能量陷阱,被用来捕获大量的吸光性墨粉颗粒,被捕获颗粒的尺寸约2—8μm,密度约1—2 g/cm3.采用红外显微镜拍摄到空间散斑场捕获颗粒的红外像,红外图像显示被捕获颗粒吸光后温度升高,证实了空间散斑场捕获吸光性颗粒的机理为光泳力原理.     

Multiple optical line traps using a single phase-only rectangular ridge

An optical line trap has the ability to simultaneously trap and align microparticles in line formation due to its intensity profile. In this paper, we demonstrate a straightforward means to generate multiple optical line traps by simply placing a phase-only rectangular ridge in the path of a laser beam. By carefully positioning the rectangular ridge, we were able to control the separation between the optical trapping lines, which were then used to create multiple line formations of trapped particles. The simplicity of the proposed technique lends itself to the realization of a highly efficient optical line trap converter for easy modification of existing optical microscopes.     

轴向多光阱微粒捕获与实时直接观测技术

传统的光镊技术使用单个物镜同时进行光学捕获与显微成像,使得捕获与成像区域被限制在物镜焦平面附近,无法同时观察到沿光轴方向(即Z向)捕获的多个微粒.本文提出一种轴平面(XZ平面)GerchbergSaxton迭代算法来产生沿轴向分布的多光阱阵列,将轴平面成像技术与光镊结合,实现了沿轴向对二氧化硅微球的多光阱同时捕获与实时观测.通过视频分析法测量了多个二氧化硅微球在轴向光镊阵列中的布朗运动,并标定了光阱刚度.本文提出的轴向多光阱微粒捕获与实时观测技术为光学微操纵提供了一个新的观测视角和操纵方法,为生物医学、物理学等相关领域研究提供了一种新的技术手段.     

Hollow-core photonic crystal fiber based multifunctional optical system for trapping, position sensing, and detection of fluorescent particles

We demonstrate a novel multifunctional optical system that is capable of trapping, imaging, position sensing, and fluorescence detection of micrometer-sized fluorescent test particles using hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). This multifunctional optical system for trapping, position sensing, and fluorescent detection is designed such that a near-IR laser light is used to create an optical trap across a liquid-filled HC-PCF, and a 473 nm laser is employed as a source for fluorescence excitation. This proposed system and the obtained results are expected to significantly enable an efficient integrated trapping platform employing HC-PCF for diagnostic biomedical applications.     

A dynamic array of optical traps for deformation of elongated microobjects

A simple technique for the formation of an array of laser traps on the basis of phase diffraction gratings is proposed. The array allows trapping transparent elongated microobjects at several points simultaneously. The dynamic variation in the spatial disposition of the traps makes its possible to impose deformation on a trapped microobject. The technique proposed has been experimentally tested.     

Enhanced electron trapping by a static longitudinal magnetic field in laser wakefield acceleration

An externally applied longitudinal magnetic field was found to enhance the particle trapping in the laser wakefield acceleration. When a static magnetic field of a few tens of tesla is applied in parallel with the propagation direction of a driving laser pulse, it is shown from two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations that total charge of the trapped beam and its maximum energy increase. The analysis of electron trajectories strongly suggests that the enhanced trapping originates from the suppression of the transverse motion by the magnetic field. The enhanced trapping by the magnetic field was observed consistently for various values of the plasma density, the amplitude of the laser pulse and pulse spot size.     

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.     

Clustered and integrated fluorescence spectra from single atmospheric aerosol particles excited by a 263- and 351-nm laser at New Haven,CT, and Adelphi,MD

Fluorescence spectra from individual micron-sized atmospheric aerosol particles were measured by a Dual-wavelength-excitation Particle Fluorescence Spectrometer (DPFS). Particles were drawn into our laboratory at Adelphi, MD, an urban site in the Washington, DC, metroplex and within the Yale University campus at New Haven, CT. Two fluorescence spectra were obtained for every individual particle as it was moving through the DPFS system and excited sequentially by single laser pulses at 263 and 351 nm. There were around ten to a few hundred particles detected per second and up to a few million per day within the 1–10 μm particle size range. The majority of the particles have weak fluorescence, but 10–50% of the particles have fluorescence signals above the noise level at both sites at different time period. For the first time, these Ultra Violet laser-induced-fluorescence (UV-LIF) spectra from individual particles were integrated every 10 min, which forms a group of about a few thousand to a few tens of thousand particles, to provide the averaged background atmospheric fluorescence spectral profiles which may be helpful in the development of bioaerosol detection systems, particularly those systems based on integrated fluorescence from a group of aerosol particles, such as Light Detection And Rangeing (LIDAR) remotor biosensor and the point sensor based on collected particles on substrate. These integrated spectral profiles had small variations from time to time and were distinguishable from that of the bacterial simulant B. subtilis. Also for the first time, the individual spectra excited by a 351 nm laser were grouped using unstructured hierarchical cluster analysis, with parameters chosen so that spectra clustered into 8 main categories. They showed less spectral variations than that excited by a 263-nm laser. Over 98% of the spectra were able to be grouped into 8 clusters, and over 90% of the fluorescent particles were in clusters 3–5 with a fluorescence emission peak around 420–470 nm; these were mostly from biological and organic carbon-containing compounds. Integrated fluorescence spectral profiles and averaged spectra for each cluster show high similarity between New Haven, CT and Adelphi, MD.     

Detection of parametric resonance of trapped ions for micromotion compensation

We have detected excess micromotion of trapped ions by modulating the trapping voltage. This radio-frequency (rf) modulation induces parametric resonance and excites secular motion of the trapped ions when they possess excess motion. This technique has been applied to laser-cooled ions in a linear rf trap and it provides optimum values for compensating the trapping field. We found that the technique has sensitivity equal to or greater than the conventional method for detecting excess micromotion. Because any laser propagation direction can be used, this method is expected to be applied to surface-electrode traps.     

Trapping of microparticles in the near field of an ultrasonic transducer

We are investigating means of handling microparticles in microfluidic systems, in particular localized acoustic trapping of microparticles in a flow-through device. Standing ultrasonic waves were generated across a microfluidic channel by ultrasonic microtransducers integrated in one of the channel walls. Particles in a fluid passing a transducer were drawn to pressure minima in the acoustic field, thereby being trapped and confined at the lateral position of the transducer. The spatial distribution of trapped particles was evaluated and compared with calculated acoustic intensity distributions. The particle trapping was found to be strongly affected by near field pressure variations due to diffraction effects associated with the finite sized transducer element. Since laterally confining radiation forces are proportional to gradients in the acoustic energy density, these near field pressure variations may be used to get strong trapping forces, thus increasing the lateral trapping efficiency of the device. In the experiments, particles were successfully trapped in linear fluid flow rates up to 1mm/s. It is anticipated that acoustic trapping using integrated transducers can be exploited in miniaturised total chemical analysis systems (microTAS), where e.g. microbeads with immobilised antibodies can be trapped in arrays and subjected to minute amounts of sample followed by a reaction, detected using fluorescence.     

A nonlinear controller for three-dimensional tracking of a fluorescent particle in a confocal microscope

We describe an algorithm for using a confocal microscope for tracking single fluorescent particles diffusing in three dimensions. The algorithm uses a standard confocal setup and directly translates each fluorescence measurement into an actuator command. Through physical simulations, we illustrate 3-D tracking in both stage scanning and beam scanning confocal systems. The simulated stage scanning system achieved tracking of particles diffusing in 3-D with coefficients up to 0.2 μm²/s when the average fluorescence intensities was less than 1.84 counts per measurement cycle (corresponding to less than 18,400 counts per second) in the presence of background fluorescence with a rate of 5,000 counts per second. Increasing the fluorescence intensity to approximately 193 counts per measurement cycle (1,930,000 counts per second) allowed the system to track up to particles diffusing with coefficients as large as 0.7 μm²/s. The beam steering system allowed for faster motion of the focal volume of the microscope and successfully tracked particles diffusing with coefficients up to 0.7 μm²/s with fluorescence measurement intensities of approximately 0.189 counts per measurement cycle (37,570 counts per second) and with coefficients up to 90 μm²/s when the fluorescence intensity was increased to 19 counts per measurement cycle (3,807,500 counts/sec).     

Non-universal thermodynamics of a strongly interacting inhomogeneous Fermi gas using the quantum virial expansion

Within a quantum virial expansion, we investigate theoretically the violation of universal thermodynamics for a strongly interacting unitary Fermi gas trapped in a harmonic potential. The violation is caused by the existence and anisotropy of the trapping potential and a finite-range of the two-body interaction. We calculate the second virial coefficient by solving a two-fermion problem in 3D uniform harmonic traps, as well as in anisotropic traps. In the unitarity limit, the universal value of the trapped second virial coefficient is 1/4. We discuss in detail the non-universal correction to the second virial coefficient and to the equation of state.     

Calculation and optical measurement of laser trapping forces on non-spherical particles

Optical trapping, where microscopic particles are trapped and manipulated by light is a powerful and widespread technique, with the single-beam gradient trap (also known as optical tweezers) in use for a large number of biological and other applications. The forces and torques acting on a trapped particle result from the transfer of momentum and angular momentum from the trapping beam to the particle. Despite the apparent simplicity of a laser trap, with a single particle in a single beam, exact calculation of the optical forces and torques acting on particles is difficult. Calculations can be performed using approximate methods, but are only applicable within their ranges of validity, such as for particles much larger than, or much smaller than, the trapping wavelength, and for spherical isotropic particles. This leaves unfortunate gaps, since wavelength-scale particles are of great practical interest because they are readily and strongly trapped and are used to probe interesting microscopic and macroscopic phenomena, and non-spherical or anisotropic particles, biological, crystalline, or other, due to their frequent occurance in nature, and the possibility of rotating such objects or controlling or sensing their orientation. The systematic application of electromagnetic scattering theory can provide a general theory of laser trapping, and render results missing from existing theory. We present here calculations of force and torque on a trapped particle obtained from this theory and discuss the possible applications, including the optical measurement of the force and torque.     

动态应力下超薄栅氧化层经时击穿的可靠性评价

实验发现动态电压应力条件下,由于栅氧化层很薄,高电平应力时间内隧穿入氧化层的电子与陷落在氧化层中的空穴复合产生中性电子陷阱,中性电子陷阱辅助电子隧穿.由于每个周期的高电平时间较短(远远低于电荷的复合时间),隧穿到氧化层的电子很少,同时低电平应力时间内一部分电荷退陷,形成的中性电子陷阱更少.随着应力时间的累积,中性电子陷阱达到某个临界值,栅氧化层突然击穿.高电平时形成的陷阱较少和低电平时一部分电荷退陷,使得器件的寿命提高. 关键词： 超薄栅氧化层 斜坡电压 经时击穿     

红外显微观测被俘获吸光性颗粒

光镊技术被广泛应用在俘获和操纵微纳米尺寸颗粒, 目前被研究学者普遍接受的俘获吸光性颗粒的机理为光泳力. 本文实现了对空气中被俘获的吸光性颗粒的红外显微观测. 当激光器功率为1.0 W时, 成功观测到被俘获墨粉颗粒(直径约7 μm)和甲苯胺蓝颗粒(直径约为1–20 μm)的温升约为14 K, 为光泳力理论提供了强有力的证据. 另外, 首次用可见光显微镜和红外显微镜同时观测到被俘获颗粒的周期振荡现象, 并分析了振荡现象的产生机理. 关键词： 光镊 光俘获 红外显微     

Trapping and controlled rotation of low-refractive-index particles using dual line optical tweezers

We show that dual line optical tweezers provides a convenient and dynamically reconfigurable approach for trapping and transport of low refractive index microscopic particles. By varying the spacing between the two line tweezers, particles of varying sizes could be trapped. Further, simultaneous rotation of the dual line tweezers could be used for controlled rotation of the trapped low-index particles. The transverse trapping force and the efficiency of the trap measured along the direction perpendicular to the line tweezers are in very good agreement with the theoretically estimated value. PACS 07.60.-j; 87.80.Cc; 87.80.Fe     

Coherent manipulation of atomic qubits in optical micropotentials

We experimentally demonstrate the coherent manipulation of atomic states in far-detuned dipole traps and registers of dipole traps based on two-dimensional arrays of microlenses. By applying Rabi, Ramsey, and spin-echo techniques, we systematically investigate the dephasing mechanisms and determine the coherence time. Simultaneous Ramsey measurements in up to 16 dipole traps are performed and prove the scalability of our approach. This represents an important step in the application of scalable registers of atomic qubits for quantum information processing. In addition, this system can serve as the basis for novel atomic clocks making use of the parallel operation of a large number of individual clocks each remaining separately addressable. PACS 03.67.Lx; 32.80.Pj; 42.50.-p     

Magnetic trapping of long-lived cold Rydberg atoms

We report on the trapping of long-lived strongly magnetized Rydberg atoms. 85Rb atoms are laser cooled and collected in a superconducting magnetic trap with a strong bias field (2.9 T) and laser excited to Rydberg states. Collisions scatter a small fraction of the Rydberg atoms into long-lived high-angular momentum "guiding-center" Rydberg states, which are magnetically trapped. The Rydberg atomic cloud is examined using a time-delayed, position-sensitive probe. We observe magnetic trapping of these Rydberg atoms for times up to 200 ms. Oscillations of the Rydberg-atom cloud in the trap reveal an average magnetic moment of the trapped Rydberg atoms of approximately -8microB. These results provide guidance for other Rydberg-atom trapping schemes and illuminate a possible route for trapping antihydrogen.     

Optical vortex beams for trapping and transport of particles in air

In this paper we show that laser beams containing phase singularity can be used for trapping and guiding light-absorbing particles in air. The experiments were performed with agglomerates of carbon nanoparticles with the size in the range 0.1–10 μm; the typical cw laser power was of a few mW. The stability of open-air three-dimensional trapping was within ±2 μm in both the transverse and the longitudinal directions. The particle position on the beams axis within the trap can be controlled by changing the relative intensity of two beams. The distinguishing feature of the trapping strategy is that particles are trapped at the intensity minimum of the beam, thus with minimum heating and intervention into the particle properties, which is important for direct studies of particle properties and for air-trapping of living cells.