Single laser beam fiber optic trap

Optical forces acting on a sphere were experimentally analyzed to investigate the single-beam fiber optic trap using a cleaved optical fiber or a lensed optical fiber. A stable optical trap could be created at the point where the x-directed (horizontal) optical forces were precisely balanced, and the vector sum of axial and transverse forces acting on a sphere gave a restoring force directed back to the stable point. As compared with other embodiments, such as a single-beam gradient trap (optical tweezers) and dual-beam fiber optical traps, this single-beam fiber optic trapping was most economical, much simpler to operate, and required relatively low optical power to capture an object. Furthermore, a lensed optical fiber could easily trap and manipulate a micro object in comparison with a cleaved optical fiber because of the strong transverse optical confinement.