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Friday, June 4, 2010

Multiple optical trapping and binding: new routes to self-assembly

T Čižmár, L C Dávila Romero, K Dholakia and D L Andrews

The impact of optical forces in the physical and biological sciences now enables the manipulation of objects ranging in size from a cell down to a single atom. The mechanical effects of optical fields have profound and far-reaching consequences, and attention is increasingly focused upon the opportunities for the non-contact assembly of particles into specific geometries. The present overview focuses on the two aspects of multi-particle trapping and optical binding. These can broadly be grouped as methods based on light-mediated inter-particle interactions, offering potential for the organization of large numbers of micro- or nano-particles using optical forces alone.

DOI

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