A compact holographic optical tweezers instrument

Gibson, G.M. , Bowman, R.W., Linnenberger, A., Dienerowitz, M., Phillips, D., Carberry, D.M., Miles, M.J. and Padgett, M.J. (2012) A compact holographic optical tweezers instrument. Review of Scientific Instruments, 83(11), p. 113107. (doi: 10.1063/1.4768303)

Abstract

Holographic optical tweezers have found many applications including the construction of complex micron-scale 3D structures and the control of tools and probes for position, force, and viscosity measurement. We have developed a compact, stable, holographic optical tweezers instrument which can be easily transported and is compatible with a wide range of microscopy techniques, making it a valuable tool for collaborative research. The instrument measures approximately 30×30×35 cm and is designed around a custom inverted microscope, incorporating a fibre laser operating at 1070 nm. We designed the control software to be easily accessible for the non-specialist, and have further improved its ease of use with a multi-touch iPad interface. A high-speed camera allows multiple trapped objects to be tracked simultaneously. We demonstrate that the compact instrument is stable to 0.5 nm for a 10 s measurement time by plotting the Allan variance of the measured position of a trapped 2 μm silica bead. We also present a range of objects that have been successfully manipulated.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Dienerowitz, Dr Maria and Gibson, Dr Graham and Bowman, Dr Richard and Phillips, Dr David and Padgett, Professor Miles
• Authors: Gibson, G.M., Bowman, R.W., Linnenberger, A., Dienerowitz, M., Phillips, D., Carberry, D.M., Miles, M.J., and Padgett, M.J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Review of Scientific Instruments
• Journal Abbr.: Rev. Sci. Instrum.
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics
• ISSN: 0034-6748
• ISSN (Online): 1089-7623
• Published Online: 28 November 2012
• First Published: First published in Review of Scientific Instruments 83(11):113107
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher