Creation and manipulation of three-dimensional optically trapped structures

M. P. MacDonald, L. Paterson, K. Volke-Sepulveda, J. Arlt, W. Sibbett, K. Dholakia

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    482 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    An interferometric pattern between two annular laser beams is used to construct three-dimensional (3D) trapped structures within an optical tweezers setup. In addition to being fully translatable in three dimensions, the trapped structure can be rotated controllably and continuously by introducing a frequency difference between the two laser beams. These interference patterns could play an important role in the creation of extended 3D crystalline structures.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1101-1103
    Number of pages3
    JournalScience
    Volume296
    Issue number5570
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - May 2002

    Keywords

    • Optical tweezers
    • Crystal structure
    • Interferometry
    • Lasers and laser optics
    • Laser trapping
    • Three dimensional computer graphics

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