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New discovery improves use of optical tweezers

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have developed a new method to improve the use of optical tweezers, allowing for more accurate measurements with less data and faster processing. This breakthrough enables the technique to be used in pharmaceutical research and study systems that are not in equilibrium.

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Shedding a new light on optical trapping and tweezing

Wits physicists have developed a new device for manipulating and moving tiny objects, such as single cells in a human body or tiny particles in small volume chemistry, using the full beam of laser light. The device uses vector holographic trapping and tweezing to control and manipulate minute objects with high precision.

RIT collaborates on multi-university research exploring the quantum world

A Rochester Institute of Technology researcher is collaborating on a multi-university project exploring quantum science in levitated mechanical systems. The project aims to create and sustain a quantum state with levitated optomechanics using advanced sensing designs based on the 'optical tweezers' technique.

Optical tweezers steer a chemical reaction from just 2 atoms

Scientists have successfully trapped and manipulated two individual sodium and cesium atoms using optical tweezers, resulting in the creation of a new sodium-cesium molecule. This technique enables precise control over chemical reactions, paving the way for studying complex molecules and designer molecules for quantum applications.

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UQ study shines a light to understand the body's balance system

A University of Queensland team has made a breakthrough in understanding the vestibular system, which controls balance and movement. Using optical tweezers, they were able to activate the vestibular system without the animal moving, allowing for the study of neural circuits in the brain that mediate vestibular perception.

2+1 is not always 3

Researchers measured critical Casimir forces with two and three particles to demonstrate nonadditivity and show that these forces are crucial for designing micro-machines. The study used colloids immersed in fluid and optical tweezers to measure the effects of many-body interaction.

To touch the microcosmos

Researchers have developed a new technique called haptic optical tweezers, enabling scientists to 'feel' the microscopic structures under the lens. This technology allows users to explore the microworld by sensing and exerting piconewton-scale forces with trapped microspheres.

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Elucidating energy shifts in optical tweezers

Physicists develop a guide to calculate energy level changes in atoms under optical tweezers' influence. Fictitious magnetic fields are shown to produce equivalent effects as real external fields.

New optical tweezers trap specimens just a few nanometers across

Researchers at Stanford University School of Engineering have designed a novel light aperture that can stably trap objects as small as 2 nanometers using plasmonic technology. The device uses a silver and silicon dioxide structure to focus light and create a powerful, concentrated beam that can trap tiny particles.

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Optical nanoantennas enable efficient multipurpose particle manipulation

Researchers at University of Illinois have demonstrated the use of arrays of gold Bowtie Nanoantenna Arrays for multipurpose optical trapping and manipulation of submicrometer- to micrometer-sized objects. This enables highly efficient, optical tweezers with low-input power densities, useful for optofluidic applications and manipulatin...

Are electron tweezers possible? Apparently so

Researchers from NIST and UVA successfully demonstrated the use of electron tweezers to move, position and assemble tiny particles at the nanoscale. Electron tweezers have the potential to offer a thousand-fold improvement in sensitivity and resolution compared to traditional laser optical tweezers.

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Optical tweezers software now available for the iPad

Researchers have developed an iPad application for optical tweezers, overcoming limitations of computer mouse control. The multi-touch-based app allows for clear representation of particle systems and offers various techniques for movement.

Acoustic tweezers can position tiny objects

Researchers have developed acoustic tweezers that can position single cells or nanosized beads using sound waves, allowing for efficient manipulation without damaging live cells. The technology has significant advantages over existing methods in terms of versatility, miniaturization, and power consumption.

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Liquid lens creates tiny flexible laser on a chip

Researchers create Liquid-Gradient Refractive Index (L-GRIN) lenses using water and calcium chloride, enabling precise control over light direction. These fluidic lenses can be fabricated on chips and have potential applications in optical tweezers and medical imaging.

DNA sewing machine

Researchers develop unique method to sew long DNA threads into shape using micron-sized hooks controlled by lasers, allowing for high-spatial resolution gene location detection. The technology has potential applications in DNA sequencing and molecular electronics.

Engineers demonstrate a new type of optical tweezer

Engineers at Harvard University have developed a novel optical tweezer that can perform calibrated force measurements with high precision. The device, consisting of a Fresnel Zone Plate fabricated on a glass slide, has the potential to revolutionize biological and microfluidic applications.

Media highlights in the Dec. 15 issue of Biophysical Journal

Researchers explore how heart muscle adjusts contractions based on protein spacing and DNA elasticity, revealing new insights into cellular control and potential applications for measuring picoscale forces. The studies also provide a more accurate model for single-molecule research.

MIT develops 'tractor beam' for cells, more

Researchers at MIT have successfully applied the concept of optical tweezers to manipulate and measure tiny objects on a microchip. Using infrared light, they were able to hold and move individual cells and other objects with unprecedented precision, opening up new possibilities for biological research and materials development.

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Optical tweezers prove Einstein right

Researchers have successfully measured the back-flow effect in Brownian motion, a phenomenon Einstein predicted but overlooked 100 years ago. The discovery uses optical tweezers technology to detect this effect, confirming a key aspect of Brownian motion theory.

Teasing apart the molecules of life

Researchers devise new method combining optical trapping and single-molecule fluorescence to study DNA structural and mechanical changes. This technique allows scientists to study rare molecules essential for life and disease development.