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A revolution in optical manipulation

Nature volume 424, pages 810–816 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Optical tweezers use the forces exerted by a strongly focused beam of light to trap and move objects ranging in size from tens of nanometres to tens of micrometres. Since their introduction in 1986, the optical tweezer has become an important tool for research in the fields of biology, physical chemistry and soft condensed matter physics. Recent advances promise to take optical tweezers out of the laboratory and into the mainstream of manufacturing and diagnostics; they may even become consumer products. The next generation of single-beam optical traps offers revolutionary new opportunities for fundamental and applied research.

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Figure 1: Optical tweezers use a strongly focused beam of light to trap objects.
Figure 2: Creation of a large number of optical tweezers by using a computer-generated holograms.
Figure 3: Polysterene and silica spheres in two- and three-dimensional configurations of holographic optical tweezers created from a single laser beam with a computer-designed hologram of a single beam's wavefront.
Figure 4: The diffraction-limited focus of an optical tweezer is ideal for spatially localized photochemistry.
Figure 5: Optical pump and valve constructed of colloidal particles in microfluidic channels activated with optical tweezers.
Figure 6: Optical vortices and optical spanners created from helical modes of light.
Figure 7: Generalizations of the optical vortex principle.
Figure 8: The radial phase profile ϕ(ρ) = γρ creates a diffractionless Bessel beam that focuses to a long axial trap that can extend for millimetres.

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  1. Department of Physics, James Franck Institute and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, 5640 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, 60637, IL, USA

    David G. Grier

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Grier, D. A revolution in optical manipulation. Nature 424, 810–816 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01935

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