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Tweezers Employ Three Forces

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Using a Michelson interferometer in a double-hologram setup, researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have demonstrated a new type of optical tweezers based on the interference of Laguerre-Gaussian beams. The system, which is more compact than those that employ a Mach-Zehnder configuration, enables the trapping and manipulation of microparticles by the optical gradient force, spin angular momentum and orbital angular momentum.

Reporting in the Feb. 10 issue of Optics Express, the researchers describe how they produced interference patterns with a 632.8-nm HeNe laser and an optical setup incorporating one or two computer-generated holograms. They suggest that the optical tweezers will enable investigations by physicists into the force interaction of laser beams as well as offer a means of inducing dual rotation in biological samples.
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Published: April 2003
Glossary
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...
double-hologram setupMichelson interferometerNanyang Technological Universityoptical tweezersResearch & Technology

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