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Optical tools get new twist

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Ashley N. Rice, [email protected]

Conventional optical tools gently push and pull microscopic particles using light, but a new fiber-based system also gives microbiologists the ability to twist and turn samples. The fiber optic spanner (the British term for wrench), developed at The University of Texas at Arlington, can precisely twist and turn microscale objects such as DNA strands in any direction and along any axis without moving any optical component, an ability that sets the virtual tool apart from others such as optical tweezers, which move objects backward and forward along a straight line. An innovative...Read full article

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    Published: March 2013
    Glossary
    optical component
    One or more optical elements – typically cemented together - in an optical system that are treated as a single group; e.g., a beamsplitter, or a cemented doublet or triplet.
    optical tweezers
    Optical tweezers refer to a scientific instrument that uses the pressure of laser light to trap and manipulate microscopic objects, such as particles or biological cells, in three dimensions. This technique relies on the momentum transfer of photons from the laser beam to the trapped objects, creating a stable trapping potential. Optical tweezers are widely used in physics, biology, and nanotechnology for studying and manipulating tiny structures at the microscale and nanoscale levels. Key...
    photonics
    The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
    Americasbiological researchBiophotonicsBioScancancer researchDNAfiber optic spannerfiber optic wrenchfiber opticsflexible optical fibersfluorescent scanmedical analysismicroscopic particlesNewsoptical componentoptical fibersoptical tweezersOpticsparticle controlphotonicsprecise twistSamarendra Mohantysmooth muscle cellsTexasThe University of Texas at Arlingtonvirtual toolLasers

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