Abstract
The optical cell rotator (OCR) is a modified dual-beam laser trap for the holding and controlled rotation of suspended dielectric microparticles, such as cells. In contrast to optical tweezers, OCR uses two counter-propagating divergent laser beams, which are shaped and delivered by optical fibers. The rotation of a trapped specimen is carried out by the rotation of a dual-mode fiber, emitting an asymmetric laser beam. Experiments were performed on human erythrocytes, promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL60), and cell clusters (MCF-7). Since OCR permits the rotation of cells around an axis perpendicular to the optical axis of any microscope and is fully decoupled from imaging optics, it could be a suitable and expedient tool for tomographic microscopy.
Highlights
Since Ashkin introduced optical traps in the 1970s [1] they have become versatile tools for the micromanipulation of biological objects
Typical time series of the rotation of red bood cells (RBC), HL60 cells, and MCF7 cell clusters are shown in Fig. 4 – 6
With optical cell rotator (OCR) we present a novel type of optical trap for the controlled rotation of anisotropic dielectric objects, such as cells, with significant advantages over existing techniques
Summary
Since Ashkin introduced optical traps in the 1970s [1] they have become versatile tools for the micromanipulation of biological objects. Laser beams carrying net angular momentum, which can either be spin [4, 5] or orbital angular momentum [6, 7], can be used to induce a continuous spinning of trapped samples While this can potentially be used for the operation of optically driven micromachines, the stable orientation of particles in a particular orientation, as required by microscopy, is only possible with a complicated closed-loop feedback mechanism. Another approach rotates the sample together with a trapping beam of reduced symmetry. The creation of multiple traps by means of holographic optics has been shown to allow for the rotation of micro bead clusters around arbitrary axis [12]
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