Optical Trapping - Real Laser Tractor Beams

[Nefarious]

Anyone try this simulator here?

It lets you vary laser power and place the target outside of the beam waist.

PhET Optical Tweezers and Applications - Optical Tweezers, Optical, DNA, Laser

Neat stuff!

Very cool Nordhavn!

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Very nice TJ! I've tried to trap with my dilda, but I can't get a steady hold. Just a brief second, then it's gone

It should work, you have enough power. :thinking:

I have not tried it yet. I dont have a powerful red, just blu-rays. :eg:

 

[Alshere]

Anyone try this simulator here?

It lets you vary laser power and place the target outside of the beam waist.

PhET Optical Tweezers and Applications - Optical Tweezers, Optical, DNA, Laser

Neat stuff!

Love the laser simulator Nordhavn.

Ok an hour later and three explosions.

Thats a nice site. LOL

 

[ossumguywill]

can't get it to work with my labbie.... damn! Might be air moving in here though.

will

 

[roddenberry]

can't get it to work with my labbie.... damn! Might be air moving in here though.

will

Same thing here... I'm having a hard time focusing my friggin' DX labby to give me a sharp focal point... Mhh. Time to get myself another red! I really want to try this experiment.

Robert

 

[ossumguywill]

Same thing here... I'm having a hard time focusing my friggin' DX labby to give me a sharp focal point... Mhh. Time to get myself another red! I really want to try this experiment.

Robert

it seems to me like the focus is laser thin.... LOL i just realized I can't really use that comparison here. It's "hair" thin let's say. But no matter what I can't get a trapping, even if it's focused at a few feet and has a longer thin area.

will

 

[phoenix77]

Will this work better if you stand the marker on end under a large clear glass jar, to cut off drafts ???? rob

 

[Dvorhagen]

It's not hard to do, with a sufficiently powerful beam, focused close to the aperture. Here's a video of my LPC build doing it...
YouTube - Optically Trapped Sharpie
It's best if you do it in front of a black background, as it can sometimes be hard to see the effect.

 

[ReNNo]

Here is my video that shows optical trapping with red laser..
YouTube - Optical trapping with red laser

Enjoy!

 

[LarryDFW]

ReNNo;

You had a very stable trap in your video.

You also got several traps in one narrow beam.

Good job.

LarryDFW

P.S. Is that the Red glass lens you bought from me a few months back ?

 

[kevinmassey]

Wow! ReNNo your video is awesome! Does this only work with red lasers? I've tried it before, but my most powerful laser is green, and probably peaks around 120mw. It didn't work at all. Has anyone else tried it with other colors?

 

[nospin]

Great demonstration of the effect
especially the focusing!

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

My blu-ray works way better than the red I just made, but the red is an LPC at about 370mA, blu-ray is an o-like 10mW pot modded

 

[brando132]

I just tried this and it is the coolest thing I've ever done with a laser!

 

[kevinmassey]

I've tried it with my PHR too, and it just doesnt work!

 

[ReNNo]

ReNNo;

P.S. Is that the Red glass lens you bought from me a few months back ?

Thanks Larry.

I tried this with glass and plastic lens but it looks like plastic lens is better for this use (or I'm suffering from placebo effect )

Wow! ReNNo your video is awesome! Does this only work with red lasers? I've tried it before, but my most powerful laser is green, and probably peaks around 120mw. It didn't work at all. Has anyone else tried it with other colors?

For me it works best with red laser (LOC 410mA)
But I even managed to trap particle with PHR @ 120mA

I haven't done it yet with my O-like 150Mw laser (focused with magnifying glass)....I have no idea why it doesn't work with my green laser because beam is in perfect TEM00 mode.

I also tried with IR laser 808nm @1250mA but with no success.
But this is what I expected.
To do optical trapping you need TEM00 beam with radial electromagnetic field.
And multimode IR laser is way from being TEM00 laser.