Beam Tweezers Research Articles

Single Beam Acoustical Tweezers Based on Focused Beams: A Numerical Analysis of Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Trapping Capabilities

Selective single beam tweezers open tremendous perspectives in microfluidics and microbiology for the micromanipulation, assembly, and mechanical properties testing of microparticles, cells, and microorganisms. In optics, single beam optical tweezers rely on tightly focused laser beams, generating a three-dimensional (3D) trap at the focal point. In acoustics, 3D traps have so-far only been reported experimentally with specific wavefields called acoustical vortices. Indeed, many types of particles are expelled (not attracted to) the center of a focused beam. Yet the trapping capabilities of focused beams have so far only been partially explored. In this paper, we numerically explore with an angular spectrum code the trapping capabilities of focused beams on a wide range of parameters (size over wavelength ratio and type of particles). We demonstrate that (i) 3D trapping of particles, droplets, and microorganisms more compressible than the surrounding fluid is possible in and beyond the Rayleigh regime [e.g., polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), olive oil, benzene, and lipid sphere] and that (ii) 2D trapping (without an axial trap) of particles with positive contrast factor can be achieved by using the particles resonances. The 3D trapping of biocompatible functionalized PDMS particles with integrable, high-frequency focused-beam tweezers opens the way towards acoustic force spectroscopy in some force ranges that were not accessible with optical methods.

Single-particle trapping and dynamic manipulation with holographic optical surface-wave tweezers

Optical surface waves have widely been used in optical tweezers systems for trapping particles sized from the nano- to microscale, with specific importance and needs in applications of super-resolved detection and imaging if a single particle can be trapped and manipulated accurately. However, it is difficult to achieve such trapping with high precision in conventional optical surface-wave tweezers. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a new method to accurately trap and dynamically manipulate a single particle or a desired number of particles in holographic optical surface-wave tweezers. By tailoring the optical potential wells formed by surface waves, we achieved trapping of the targeted single particle while pushing away all surrounding particles and further dynamically controlling the particle by a holographic tweezers beam. We also prove that different particle samples, including gold particles and biological cells, can be applied in our system. This method can be used for different-type optical surface-wave tweezers, with significant potential applications in single-particle spectroscopy, particle sorting, nano-assembly, and others.

Continuous rotational motion in birefringent particles using two near-orthogonally polarized optical tweezers beams at different wavelengths with low ellipticity

Continuous yaw (in-plane) rotation of an optically trapped birefringent particle is conventionally achieved by illuminating with light of high ellipticity. This ellipticity has to be high enough to make the tilt of the washboard potential bypass the confining effect of the corrugation. Here by using a novel technique, we generate continuous rotations of a 3 µm sized spherical birefringent particle with ellipticity lower than that permissible with a single optical tweezers beam. We use two lasers, near-orthogonally polarized, with similar intensities at wavelengths of 1064 and 975 nm to obtain continuous rotations, just by making one of the beams elliptically polarized, but well lower than that permissible by the washboard potential. The maximum rotation frequency we achieve with the present configuration is 5 Hz which can be increased by simultaneously increasing the two laser intensities.

Stroboscopic high-order nonlinearity for quantum optomechanics

High-order quantum nonlinearity is an important prerequisite for the advanced quantum technology leading to universal quantum processing with large information capacity of continuous variables. Levitated optomechanics, a field where motion of dielectric particles is driven by precisely controlled tweezer beams, is capable of attaining the required nonlinearity via engineered potential landscapes of mechanical motion. Importantly, to achieve nonlinear quantum effects, the evolution caused by the free motion of mechanics and thermal decoherence have to be suppressed. For this purpose, we devise a method of stroboscopic application of a highly nonlinear potential to a mechanical oscillator that leads to the motional quantum non-Gaussian states exhibiting nonclassical negative Wigner function and squeezing of a nonlinear combination of mechanical quadratures. We test the method numerically by analyzing highly instable cubic potential with relevant experimental parameters of the levitated optomechanics, prove its feasibility within reach, and propose an experimental test. The method paves a road for experiments instantaneously transforming a ground state of mechanical oscillators to applicable nonclassical states by nonlinear optical force.

Pitch-rotational manipulation of single cells and particles using single-beam thermo-optical tweezers.

3D pitch rotation of microparticles and cells assumes importance in a wide variety of applications in biology, physics, chemistry and medicine. Applications such as cell imaging and injection benefit from pitch-rotational manipulation. Generation of such motion in single beam optical tweezers has remained elusive due to the complexities of generating high enough ellipticity perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Further, trapping a perfectly spherical object at two locations and subsequent pitch rotation hasn't yet been demonstrated to be possible. Here, we use hexagonal-shaped upconverting particles and single cells trapped close to a gold-coated glass cover slip in a sample chamber to generate complete 360 degree and continuous pitch motion even with a single optical tweezer beam. The tweezers beam passing through the gold surface is partially absorbed and generates a hot-spot to produce circulatory convective flows in the vicinity which rotates the objects. The rotation rate can be controlled by the intensity of the laser light. Thus such a simple configuration can turn the particle in the pitch sense. The circulatory flows in this technique have a diameter of about 5 μm which is smaller than those reported using acousto-fluidic techniques.

OTSLM toolbox for Structured Light Methods

We present a new Matlab toolbox for generating phase and amplitude patterns for digital micro-mirror device (DMD) and liquid crystal (LC) based spatial light modulators (SLMs). This toolbox consists of a collection of algorithms commonly used for generating patterns for these devices with a focus on optical tweezers beam shaping applications. In addition to the algorithms provided, we have put together a range of user interfaces for simplifying the use of these patterns. The toolbox currently has functionality to generate patterns which can be saved as an image or displayed on a device/screen using the supplied interface. We have only implemented interfaces for the devices our group currently uses but we believe that extending the code we provide to other devices should be fairly straightforward. The range of algorithms included in the toolbox is not exhaustive. However, by making the toolbox open sources and available on GitHub we hope that other researchers working with these devices will contribute their patterns/algorithms to the toolbox. Program summaryProgram Title: OTSLM Toolbox for Structured Light MethodsProgram Files doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/8sc66m9r7s.1Licensing provisions: GPLv3Programming language: MatlabNature of problem: There are many algorithms for generating computer controlled holograms however the code and descriptions for these algorithms is often provided as supplementary material to research publications which use these methods, and in some cases only the description is provided without code to reproduce the pattern. Furthermore, implementation of these algorithms can be a time consuming task. Even for simple patterns with simple analytical expressions for the far-field phase or amplitude, such as the Laguerre-Gaussian and Hermite-Gaussian beams, time is often wasted by researchers having to re-implement and test these patterns. Existing libraries for generation of SLM patterns focus on specific tasks, methods of pattern generation, or target specific hardware. These libraries are not general purpose or easily modifiable for general use by researchers working with computer controlled holograms in fields such as beam shaping and optical tweezers.Solution method: We have assembled a toolbox containing many methods commonly used with these devices. The number of methods available makes assembling a complete toolbox impossible, instead we have focused on putting together a general collection of methods, in the form of an open source toolbox, with the hope that other researchers will contribute patterns/algorithms they use. The toolbox currently includes a range of simple and iterative methods for beam shaping and steering as well as some of the methods our group currently uses for SLM control, calibration, imaging and optical tweezers beam shaping. To make the tools we have developed easy to use, we have tried to maintain a consistent well documented interface to each of the functions and provided graphical user interfaces to many of the simpler functions enabling code-free pattern generation.Additional comments: Some of the features require the Optical Tweezers Toolbox [1], in particular, the non-paraxial beam visualisation and optimisation routines. Certain functions require components from other Matlab packages such as the image acquisition toolbox, these can be licensed and installed from Mathworks. There is also interest from the authors in providing a Python version that requires no proprietary components depending on interest from the community. A public repository for the toolbox is available on GitHub [2].

Optical Trapping and Manipulation of Superparamagnetic Beads Using Annular-Shaped Beams

We propose an optical tweezers setup based on an annular-shaped laser beam that is efficient to trap 2.8 m-diameter superparamagnetic particles. The optical trapping of such particles was fully characterized, and a direct absolute comparison with a geometrical optics model was performed. With this comparison, we were able to show that light absorption by the superparamagnetic particles is negligible for our annular beam tweezers, differing from the case of conventional Gaussian beam tweezers, in which laser absorption by the beads makes stable trapping difficult. In addition, the trap stiffness of the annular beam tweezers increases with the laser power and with the bead distance from the coverslip surface. While this first result is expected and similar to that achieved for conventional Gaussian tweezers, which use ordinary dielectric beads, the second result is quite surprising and different from the ordinary case, suggesting that spherical aberration is much less important in our annular beam geometry. The results obtained here provide new insights into the development of hybrid optomagnetic tweezers, which can apply simultaneously optical and magnetic forces on the same particles.

Self-bending scalar and vector bottle sheets.

This work demonstrates the generation of auto-bending cylindrical/tubular Bessel-Gauss bottle beams in homogeneous two-dimensional (2D) space. The corresponding wave fields flow through a two-dimensional curved trajectory leaving a singularity hollow central region, exhibiting the characteristic of circumventing obstacles. Scalar and vector fields are derived based on the angular spectrum decomposition method, the Helmholtz equation, the Lorenz gauge condition, and Maxwell's equations. The profile and area of the 2D bottle beams, together with the location of the autofocusing spots, are controlled by the intrinsic parameters of the illuminating waves and polarizations of the vector potential forming the incident fields. The demonstrated auto-bending cylindrical bottle beam solutions may find potential applications in acoustical and optical cloaking, auto-bending beam tweezers, imaging around steep corners, therapeutic investigations with unconventional autofocusing beams, acoustical and light sheets (i.e., slice of beams in 2D), and other related particle manipulation, isolation, and sorting devices, to name a few examples.

Negative pulling acoustic radiation force on spheroids in Bessel vortex beams

The emergence of a negative pulling acoustic radiation force on rigid spheroids is examined, with the use of acoustical Bessel vortex (helicoidal) “tractor” beams. Numerical predictions based on the acoustical scattering phenomenon [F. G. Mitri, IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control 62, 1809-1818 (2015); Ann. Phys. (NY) 363, 262-274 (2015)] that is extended to calculate the longitudinal acoustic radiation force (i.e., acting along the direction of wave propagation) illustrate the theory, with particular emphasis on the aspect ratio of the spheroid, the half-cone angle and order of the beam, as well as the dimensionless frequency parameter. It is shown that the Bessel vortex beam composed of progressive (i.e., traveling) waves is capable of generating a negative pulling force acting in opposite direction of the forward linear momentum density flux associated with the incident waves [F. G. Mitri, Europhys. Lett. 112, 34002 (2015)]. The scope of the analysis is further expanded to include the cases of standing and quasi-standing Bessel beam tweezers [F. G. Mitri, Wave Motion 57, 231-238 (2015)]. The results potentially suggest the use of Bessel “tractor” vortex beams for pulling, propelling, or manipulating arbitrary-shaped objects deviating from the spherical geometry for applications in remote sampling, particle manipulation, and handling, to name a few areas.

Optical pulling force on a magneto-dielectric Rayleigh sphere in Bessel tractor polarized beams

The optical radiation force induced by Bessel (vortex) beams on a magneto-dielectric subwavelength sphere is investigated with particular emphasis on the beam polarization and order l (or topological charge). The analysis is focused on identifying the regions and some of the conditions to achieve retrograde motion of the sphere centered on the axis of wave propagation of the incident beam, or shifted off-axially. Exact non-paraxial analytical solutions are established, and computations for linear, circular, radial, azimuthal and mixed polarizations of the individual plane wave components forming the Bessel (vortex) beams by means of the angular spectrum decomposition method (ASDM) illustrate the theory with particular emphasis on the tractor (i.e. reversal) behavior of the force. This effect results in the pulling of the magneto-dielectric sphere against the forward linear momentum density flux associated with the incoming waves. Should some conditions related to the choice of the beam parameters as well as the permittivity and permeability of the sphere be met, the optical force vanishes and reverses sign. Moreover, the beam polarization is shown to affect differently the axial negative pulling force for either the zeroth- or the first-order Bessel beam. When the sphere is centered on the beam′s axis, the axial force component is always negative for the zeroth-order Bessel beam except for the radial and azimuthal polarization configurations. Nonetheless, for the first-order Bessel beam, the axial force is negative for the radial polarization case only. Additional tractor beam effects arise when the sphere departs from the center of the beam. It is also demonstrated that the tractor beam effect arises from the force component originating from the cross-interaction between the electric and magnetic dipoles. Potential applications are in particle manipulation, optical levitation, tractor beam tweezers, and other emergent technologies using polarized Bessel beams on a small (Rayleigh) magneto-dielectric particle.

Reverse propagation and negative angular momentum density flux of an optical nondiffracting nonparaxial fractional Bessel vortex beam of progressive waves.

Energy and angular momentum flux density characteristics of an optical nondiffracting nonparaxial vector Bessel vortex beam of fractional order are examined based on the dual-field method for the generation of symmetric electric and magnetic fields. Should some conditions determined by the polarization state, the half-cone angle as well as the beam-order (or topological charge) be met, the axial energy and angular momentum flux densities vanish (representing Poynting singularities), before they become negative. These negative counterintuitive properties suggest retrograde (negative) propagation as well as a rotation reversal of the angular momentum with respect to the beam handedness. These characteristics of nondiffracting nonparaxial Bessel fractional vortex beams of progressive waves open new capabilities in optical tractor beam tweezers, optical spanners, invisibility cloaks, optically engineered metamaterials, and other applications.

In-plane trapping and manipulation of ZnO nanowires by a hybrid plasmonic field.

In general, when a semiconductor nanowire is trapped by conventional laser beam tweezers, it tends to be aligned with the trapping beam axis rather than confined in the horizontal plane, and this limits the application of these nanowires in many in-plane nanoscale optoelectronic devices. In this work, we achieve the in-plane trapping and manipulation of a single ZnO nanowire by a hybrid plasmonic tweezer system on a flat metal surface. The gap between the nanowire and the metallic substrate leads to an enhanced gradient force caused by deep subwavelength optical energy confinement. As a result, the nanowire can be securely trapped in-plane at the center of the excited surface plasmon polariton field, and can also be dynamically moved and rotated by varying the position and polarization direction of the incident laser beam, which cannot be performed using conventional optical tweezers. The theoretical results show that the focused plasmonic field induces a strong in-plane trapping force and a high rotational torque on the nanowire, while the focused optical field produces a vertical trapping force to produce the upright alignment of the nanowire; this is in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, some typical ZnO nanowire structures are built based on this technique, which thus further confirms the potential of this method for precise manipulation of components during the production of nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices.

Steerable optical tweezers for ultracold atom studies

We report on the implementation of an optical tweezer system for controlled transport of ultracold atoms along a narrow, static confinement channel. The tweezer system is based on high-efficiency acousto-optic deflectors and offers two-dimensional control over beam position. This opens up the possibility for tracking the transport channel when shuttling atomic clouds along it, forestalling atom spilling. Multiple clouds can be tracked independently by time-shared tweezer beams addressing individual sites in the channel. The deflectors are controlled using a multichannel direct digital synthesizer, which receives instructions on a submicrosecond time scale from a field-programmable gate array. Using the tweezer system, we demonstrate sequential binary splitting of an ultracold 87Rb cloud into 2(5) clouds.

Spectroscopy of 3D-trapped particles inside a hollow-core microstructured optical fiber

We report on the demonstration of three-dimensional optical trapping inside the core of a hollow-core microstructured optical fiber specifically designed and fabricated for this purpose. Optical trapping was achieved by means of an external tweezers beam incident transversely on the fiber and focused through the fiber cladding. Trapping was achieved for a range of particle sizes from 1 to 5 µm, and manipulation of the particles in three-dimensions through the entire cross-section of the fiber core was demonstrated. Spectroscopy was also performed on single fluorescent particles, with the fluorescence captured and guided in the fiber core. Video tracking methods allowed the optical traps to be characterized and photobleaching of single particles was also observed and characterized.

Laser based accelerator for ultracold atoms

We present our first results on our implementation of a laser based accelerator for ultracold atoms. Atoms cooled to a temperature of 420 nK are confined and accelerated by means of laser tweezer beams, and the atomic scattering is directly observed in laser absorption imaging. The optical collider has been characterized using 87Rb atoms in the |F=2, m(F)=2] state, but the scheme is not restricted to atoms in any particular magnetic substates and can readily be extended to other atomic species as well.

Spatially resolved magnetometry using cold atoms in dark optical tweezers

We use Faraday spectroscopy of atoms confined to crossed hollow beam tweezers to map magnetic fields over 3 millimeters with 200 micron resolution in a single trap loading cycle. The hollow beams are formed using spatial light modulation, and the trap location is scanned using acousto-optic deflectors. We demonstrate the technique by mapping a linear quadrupole magnetic field with 10 nT sensitivity.

Acoustic radiation force of high-order Bessel beam standing wave tweezers on a rigid sphere

Background and objective Particle manipulation using the acoustic radiation force of Bessel beams is an active field of research. In a previous investigation, [F.G. Mitri, Acoustic radiation force on a sphere in standing and quasi-standing zero-order Bessel beam tweezers, Annals of Physics 323 (2008) 1604–1620] an expression for the radiation force of a zero-order Bessel beam standing wave experienced by a sphere was derived. The present work extends the analysis of the radiation force to the case of a high-order Bessel beam (HOBB) of positive order m having an angular dependence on the phase ϕ. Method The derivation for the general expression of the force is based on the formulation for the total acoustic scattering field of a HOBB by a sphere [F.G. Mitri, Acoustic scattering of a high-order Bessel beam by an elastic sphere, Annals of Physics 323 (2008) 2840–2850; F.G. Mitri, Equivalence of expressions for the acoustic scattering of a progressive high order Bessel beam by an elastic sphere, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control 56 (2009) 1100–1103] to derive the general expression for the radiation force function Y J m , st ( ka , β , m ) , which is the radiation force per unit characteristic energy density and unit cross-sectional surface. The radiation force function is expressed as a generalized partial wave series involving the half-cone angle β of the wave-number components and the order m of the HOBB. Results Numerical results for the radiation force function of a first and a second-order Bessel beam standing wave incident upon a rigid sphere immersed in non-viscous water are computed. The rigid sphere calculations for Y J m , st ( ka , β , m ) show that the force is generally directed to a pressure node when m is a positive even integer number (i.e. Y J m , st ( ka , β , m ) > 0 ), whereas the force is generally directed toward a pressure antinode when m is a positive odd integer number (i.e. Y J m , st ( ka , β , m ) < 0 ). Conclusion An expression is derived for the radiation force on a rigid sphere placed along the axis of an ideal non-diffracting HOBB of acoustic standing (or stationary) waves propagating in an ideal fluid. The formulation includes results of a previous work done for a zero-order Bessel beam standing wave ( m = 0). The proposed theory is of particular interest essentially due to its inherent value as a canonical problem in particle manipulation using the acoustic radiation force of a HOBB standing wave on a sphere. It may also serve as the benchmark for comparison to other solutions obtained by strictly numerical or asymptotic approaches.

Theory of the acoustic radiation force exerted on a sphere by standing and quasistanding zero-order Bessel beam tweezers of variable half-cone angles

A rigorous theory is developed to predict the radiation force (RF) exerted on a sphere immersed in an ideal fluid by a standing or quasistanding zero-order Bessel beam of different half-cone angles. A standing or a quasistanding acoustic field is the result of counter propagating 2 equal or unequal amplitude zero-order Bessel beams, respectively, along the same axis. Each Bessel beam is characterized by its halfcone angle beta(l);l = 1, 2 of its plane wave components, such that beta(l) = 0 represents a plane wave. Analytical expressions of RF are derived for a homogeneous viscoelastic sphere chosen as an example. RF calculations for a polyethylene sphere immersed in water are performed. Particularly, the half-cone angle dependency on the RF is analyzed for standing and quasistanding waves. Changing the half-cone angle is equivalent to changing the beamwidth. Potential applications include particle manipulation in microfluidic lab-on-chips as well as in reduced gravity environments.

Manipulation of mammalian cells using a single-fiber optical microbeam

The short working distance of microscope objectives has severely restricted the application of optical micromanipulation techniques at larger depths. We show the first use of fiber-optic tweezers toward controlled guidance of neuronal growth cones and stretching of neurons. Further, by mode locking, the fiber-optic tweezers beam was converted to fiber-optic scissors, enabling dissection of neuronal processes and thus allowing study of the subsequent response of neurons to localized injury. At high average powers, lysis of a three-dimensionally trapped cell was accomplished.

In depth fiber optic trapping of low-index microscopic objects

We demonstrate that a focused beam through a microaxicon built on the tip of a single mode optical fiber can trap low-index objects at much larger depths as compared to the vortex beam tweezers generated using high numerical aperture microscope objectives. The measured transverse trapping force for low-index objects in Mie regime was found to depend on particle size and on distance of trapped objects from the fiber tip. While axial movement of trapped low-index objects was achieved by variation in trap beam power, transportation in three dimensions was achieved by maneuvering the fiber.