Optical trapping with structured light: a review

Abstract

Optical trapping describes the interaction between light and matter to manipulate micro-objects through momentum transfer. In the case of 3D trapping with a single beam, this is termed optical tweezers. Optical tweezers are a powerful and noninvasive tool for manipulating small objects, and have become indispensable in many fields, including physics, biology, soft condensed matter, among others. In the early days, optical trapping was typically accomplished with a single Gaussian beam. In recent years, we have witnessed rapid progress in the use of structured light beams with customized phase, amplitude, and polarization in optical trapping. Unusual beam properties, such as phase singularities on-axis and propagation invariant nature, have opened up novel capabilities to the study of micromanipulation in liquid, air, and vacuum. We summarize the recent advances in the field of optical trapping using structured light beams.

Non-Diffracting Light Wave: Fundamentals and Biomedical Applications

“…Therefore, conventional TPM is insufficient for volumetric imaging in real time, such as recording the transient signal among neurons scattered in brain tissues. Non-diffracting beams with propagation invariance and self-healing offer excitingly novel features and functionalities in those applications, including multiphoton microscopy (MPM) [126], light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) [11,127], and optical micromanipulation [10,27]. For instance, LSFM adopted a thin sheet of the light beam to excite the fluorescence, while orthogonal detection naturally ejects the out-of-focus information due to the absence of excitation light.…”

“…One possible means to overcome scattering is using the nondiffracting beam, which preserves the shape over a distance longer than the Gaussian Rayleigh range. Here, the theory, generation, and significant features of many "non-diffracting" beams are reviewed, with an emphasis on the biomedical applications of those fascinating beams, including the multimodal biomedical imaging [11,[23][24][25][26], optical micromanipulation [10,27,28], and optical transfection [29][30][31]. Specifically, we introduce the use of non-diffracting beams to overcome the challenges arising from various applications, including two-photon microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and optical manipulation.…”

Vortex beam: generation and detection of orbital angular momentum [Invited]

“…Vortex beams have been widely used in the fields of optical communication [6,7] , optical trapping [71,72] , quantum information [73,74] , etc. Therefore, it is imperative to measure the topological charges of vortex beams.…”

Methods in Raman spectroscopy for saliva studies – a review

“…[65] Another approach for analyzing saliva in a liquid form might be to employ optical trapping, as has been used recently for red blood cell analysis, [289] relying on radiation pressure from incident light onto a sample to spatially confine a desired salivary constituent, and this could be used in conjunction with a SERS-active medium. [290] Structured light i.e., bespoke polarization, phase, and amplitude, in optical trapping (in 3D: optical tweezers), has recently been reviewed by Yang, [291] including deployment of optical tractor beams, in what could be a kind of nano-factory [292] for manipulation of biofluid constituents on the microscale. Elsewhere, inexpensive and highly absorptive paper-based substrates, which can be simply dipped into the salivary medium, could offer fast and homogeneous detection.…”