Lasers used as Nano Tweezers and Optical fingers

[Laser Chick]

Very interesting and I did not know that this application has been around for many years.
The technology has of course been improved upon and refined largely in the medical field where they can trap and move around individual items such as viruses and bacteria.
Some really smart people in this world!!

http://www.pnas.org/content/94/10/4853

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140302143626.htm

 

[H2Oxide]

Welcome back LC.

Yes, optical tweezers have been around for quite some time. In fact, part of the 2018 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Arthur Ashkin for their invention waaaay back in 1986.

 

[paul1598419]

Thanks, Laser Chick. I have known about this for sometime too. But, bringing it up again is always welcomed.

 

[Pelagius]

Very interesting and I did not know that this application has been around for many years.
The technology has of course been improved upon and refined largely in the medical field where they can trap and move around individual items such as viruses and bacteria.
Some really smart people in this world!!

http://www.pnas.org/content/94/10/4853

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140302143626.htm

Thanks! That is very interesting.

 

[Tuxifix]

Fun fact: you can order an optical-tweezer kit from Thorlabs for only 8.000€

 

[cyberdoc]

Styropyro demonstrated the Optical Tweezer effect on YT last year using a 250 mW red diode and a marking pen. Thanks.

 

[Benm]

Amazingly you can do this with a very affordable laser yourself

It's not the same as what is used in biology and such though: You can move around particles of soot and apparently even diamond powder with a cheap laser, demonstrating the effect.

With things like cells you don't want to use this approach though, at least not if you want them to survive. The problem is that they'd just get cooked by the laser, 'opticuted' is the common term for this. Lab optical tweezers to hold single cells without frying them do exist, but they are pretty expensive since they use a lower wavelength and much more complicated optics.