Fiber Optic ‘Wrench’ Twists, Turns Tiny Particles
ARLINGTON, Texas, Dec. 3, 2012 — The fiber optic equivalent of the world’s smallest wrench, dubbed the fiber optic spanner, can precisely twist and turn microscale objects in any direction and along any axis without moving any optical component. Developed at The University of Texas at Arlington, this new twist on controlling the incredibly small will allow scientists to manipulate single cells for cancer research, to twist and untwist individual strands of DNA, and to perform many other functions where microscopic pr...