Optical tweezing and micromanipulation.
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Date
2009-10-14T11:51:57Z
Authors
McLaren, Melanie
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Abstract
Over the last 30 years, the ability to perform controlled manipulation of
microscopic particles using only light, has become a prevalent technique.
Many new and existing fields have benefited from the versatility that is
offered by optical tweezers.
This dissertation provides a theoretical description of the interaction of
light with microscopic matter within an optical tweezer. An experimental
investigation into the construction of an optical tweezer is described in
detail, along with experimental results verifying the assembly of a fully
functional and calibrated optical tweezer.
The use of novel beam shapes including Bessel-Gauss, Laguerre-Gauss and
super-Gaussian beams are applied to the tweezing setup, demonstrating additional
manipulation methods. The procedures for generating each beam
shape are discussed, together with the specific properties of the beam that
provide further value to optical tweezing.