Stopping paramagnetic supersonic beams: the advantage of a co-moving magnetic trap decelerator

The long standing goal of chemical physics is finding a convenient method to create slow and cold beams intense enough to observe chemical reactions in the temperature range of a few Kelvin. We present an extensive numerical analysis of our moving magnetic trap decelerator showing that a 3D confinement throughout the deceleration process enables deceleration of almost all paramagnetic particles within the original supersonic expansion to stopping velocities. We show that the phase space region containing the decelerating species is larger by two orders of magnitude as compared to other available deceleration methods.     

Tailoring the trajectory of cell rolling with cytotactic surfaces

Cell separation technology is a key tool for biological studies and medical diagnostics that relies primarily on chemical labeling to identify particular phenotypes. An emergent method of sorting cells based on differential rolling on chemically patterned substrates holds potential benefits over existing technologies, but the underlying mechanisms being exploited are not well characterized. In order to better understand cell rolling on complex surfaces, a microfluidic device with chemically patterned stripes of the cell adhesion molecule P-selectin was designed. The behavior of HL-60 cells rolling under flow was analyzed using a high-resolution visual tracking system. This behavior was then correlated to a number of established predictive models. The combination of computational modeling and widely available fabrication techniques described herein represents a crucial step toward the successful development of continuous, label-free methods of cell separation based on rolling adhesion.