Optical Trapping - Lasers' Control?

[newRocky]

Hello,
I had started this thread: Building a Parametric Speaker Array?

There is some good feedback in there by Seoul_lasers.
I want to manipulate 3D micro sized particles.

I saw the "optical tweezers" (or, more officially called "optical trapping"), and I think that would work better for what I want.

The laser experts are here, and I have yet a lot to learn.
Could an "optical trap" be made out of a laser (or various?), where it can then be moved xyz a short distance?
(the xyz movement would all be sub-mm).

In these forums you guys have a mention of the idea here:
Star Trek's "tractor" beam created in miniature by researchers
and here
Lasers used to trap single atom.

There is a commercially available system in the 16,000USD range:
Thor Labs' OTKB/M - Optical Tweezer Kit

Could something similar be built for less than 16,000USD?

I am attaching a PDF I found while searching online... it's titled:
Inexpensive optical tweezers for undergraduate laboratories.
View attachment Smith1999.pdf

Can you post some feedback on your thoughts?

Thank you!

 

[Seoul_lasers]

Hello,
I had started this thread: Building a Parametric Speaker Array?

There is some good feedback in there by Seoul_lasers.
I want to manipulate 3D micro sized particles.

I saw the "optical tweezers" (or, more officially called "optical trapping"), and I think that would work better for what I want.

The laser experts are here, and I have yet a lot to learn.
Could an "optical trap" be made out of a laser (or various?), where it can then be moved xyz a short distance?
(the xyz movement would all be sub-mm).

In these forums you guys have a mention of the idea here:
Star Trek's "tractor" beam created in miniature by researchers
and here
Lasers used to trap single atom.

There is a commercially available system in the 16,000USD range:
Thor Labs' OTKB/M - Optical Tweezer Kit

Could something similar be built for less than 16,000USD?

I am attaching a PDF I found while searching online... it's titled:
Inexpensive optical tweezers for undergraduate laboratories.
View attachment 44199

Can you post some feedback on your thoughts?

Thank you!

Actually, optical trapping ( on a microscopic scale) can be seen in many of our demo videos. Quite simple to accomplish this even with a 350mW 650nm laser.



One "could" use several lasers to move a particle along xyz axis in somewhat the same way as the ultrasound moving particles.
in the lab this is generally done using NIR spectrum lasers due to their low absorption rate.

 

[Things]

You could probably use some very precise galvanometer scanners to do this, but it's definitely doable, even with hobbyist gear: