Application of the discrete dipole approximation to optical trapping calculations of inhomogeneous and anisotropic particles

Stephen H. Simpson and Simon Hanna

The accuracy of the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) for computing forces and torques in optical trapping experiments is discussed in the context of dielectric spheres and a range of low symmetry particles, including particles with geometric anisotropy (spheroids), optical anisotropy (birefringent spheres) and structural inhomogeneity (core-shell spheres). DDA calculations are compared with the results of exact T-matrix theory. In each case excellent agreement is found between the two methods for predictions of optical forces, torques, trap stiffnesses and trapping positions. Since the DDA lends itself to calculations on particles of arbitrary shape, the study is augmented by considering more general systems which have received recent experimental interest. In particular, optical forces and torques on low symmetry letter-shaped colloidal particles, birefringent quartz cylinders and biphasic Janus particles are computed and the trapping behaviour of the particles is discussed. Very good agreement is found with the available experimental data. The efficiency of the DDA algorithm and methods of accelerating the calculations are also discussed.

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Individual particle handling in a microfluidic system based on parallel laser trapping

Philippe Hamel, Bastien Rachet, Michael Werner, Mathieu Grossenbacher, Horst Vogel, Martin Forrer, Peter Ryser, and René P. Salathé
We present an optical trapping system combining individually addressable multiple laser traps with fluorescence spectroscopy. An in-line set of 64 near-IR laser diodes is used to create a line of individually addressable traps inside a microfluidic chip. This system is completed by an excitation/detection line for spectrally resolved fluorescence imaging of trapped particles. Highly parallel trapping in a constant flow (up to a few millimeters per second), fast particle handling rates (up to a few particles per second), and the possibility of recording fluorescence spectra of trapped objects lead to a performing bioanalytical platform, e.g., for highly parallel analysis and sorting.

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Driving and analysis of micro-objects by digital holographic microscope in microfluidics

F. Merola, L. Miccio, M. Paturzo, A. Finizio, S. Grilli, and P. Ferraro

We propose an optical configuration in which floating particles in a microfluidic chamber can be characterized by an interference microscopy configuration to obtain quantitative phase-contrast maps. The configuration is simply made by two laser beams from the same laser source. One beam provides the optical forces for driving the particle along appropriate paths, but at same time works as the object illumination beam in the holographic microscope. The second beam plays the role of the reference beam, allowing recording of an interference fringe pattern (i.e., the digital hologram) in an out-of-focus image plane. The system and method are illustrated and experimental results are offered for polymeric particles as well as for in vitro cells with the aim to demonstrate the approach.

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Reverse optical forces in negative index dielectric waveguide arrays

Alessandro Salandrino and Demetrios N. Christodoulides

Nonconservative optical forces acting on dipolar particles are considered in longitudinally invariant optical fields. We demonstrate that the orientation of these forces is strictly dictated by the propagation vector associated with such field configurations. As a direct consequence of this, it is impossible to achieve a reversal of optical forces in homogeneous media. We show instead that translation invariant optical tractor fields can in fact be generated in the negative index environment produced in a special class of fully dielectric waveguide arrays.

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Optical trapping induced by reorientational nonlocal effects in nematic liquid crystals

L. Lucchetti, L. Criante, F. Bracalente, F. Aieta, and F. Simoni

We report a detailed analysis of optical trapping of low index particles in liquid crystals under experimental conditions that prevent the effect of conventional trapping originated by optical gradient forces. The observation of stable, long-range trapping shows that this phenomenon in liquid crystals is regulated by a completely different mechanism than in isotropic media. In particular, the role of the nonlocality of optical reorientation is highlighted by showing the dependence of the trapping force on the size of the reoriented area. A model based on the actual form of the Gaussian focused beam impinging on the liquid-crystalline medium in the trapping experiment is also reported, with good agreement with experimental data.

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Dual-trap optical tweezers with real-time force clamp control

Anders E. Wallin, Heikki Ojala, Gabija Ziedaite, and Edward Hæggström

Single molecule force clamp experiments are widely used to investigate how enzymes, molecular motors, and other molecular mechanisms work. We developed a dual-trap optical tweezers instrument with real-time (200 kHz update rate) force clamp control that can exert 0–100 pN forces on trapped beads. A model for force clamp experiments in the dumbbell-geometry is presented. We observe good agreement between predicted and observed power spectra of bead position and force fluctuations. The model can be used to predict and optimize the dynamics of real-time force clamp optical tweezers instruments. The results from a proof-of-principle experiment in which lambda exonuclease converts a double-stranded DNA tether, held at constant tension, into its single-stranded form, show that the developed instrument is suitable for experiments in single molecule biology.

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Use of an Optical Trap for Study of Host-Pathogen Interactions for Dynamic Live Cell Imaging

J.M. Tam, C. E. Castro, R. J. W. Heath, M. K. Mansour, M. L. Cardenas, R. J. Xavier, M. J. Lang, J. M. Vyas
Dynamic live cell imaging allows direct visualization of real-time interactions between cells of the immune system; however, the lack of spatial and temporal control between the phagocytic cell and microbe has rendered focused observations into the initial interactions of host response to pathogens difficult. Historically, intercellular contact events such as phagocytosis have been imaged by mixing two cell types, and then continuously scanning the field-of-view to find serendipitous intercellular contacts at the appropriate stage of interaction. The stochastic nature of these events renders this process tedious, and it is difficult to observe early or fleeting events in cell-cell contact by this approach. This method requires finding cell pairs that are on the verge of contact, and observing them until they consummate their contact, or do not. To address these limitations, we use optical trapping as a non-invasive, non-destructive, but fast and effective method to position cells in culture.

Optical traps, or optical tweezers, are increasingly utilized in biological research to capture and physically manipulate cells and other micron-sized particles in three dimensions. Radiation pressure was first observed and applied to optical tweezer systems in 1970, and was first used to control biological specimens in 1987. Since then, optical tweezers have matured into a technology to probe a variety of biological phenomena.

We describe a method that advances live cell imaging by integrating an optical trap with spinning disk confocal microscopy with temperature and humidity control to provide exquisite spatial and temporal control of pathogenic organisms in a physiological environment to facilitate interactions with host cells, as determined by the operator. Live, pathogenic organisms like Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus, which can cause potentially lethal, invasive infections in immunocompromised individuals (e.g. AIDS, chemotherapy, and organ transplantation patients), were optically trapped using non-destructive laser intensities and moved adjacent to macrophages, which can phagocytose the pathogen. High resolution, transmitted light and fluorescence-based movies established the ability to observe early events of phagocytosis in living cells. To demonstrate the broad applicability in immunology, primary T-cells were also trapped and manipulated to form synapses with anti-CD3 coated microspheres in vivo, and time-lapse imaging of synapse formation was also obtained. By providing a method to exert fine spatial control of live pathogens with respect to immune cells, cellular interactions can be captured by fluorescence microscopy with minimal perturbation to cells and can yield powerful insight into early responses of innate and adaptive immunity.

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Optically induced forces in a nanoparticle-on-substrate system

A. S. Shalin

Optical forces acting onto a nanoparticle in an electromagnetic field near the interface of two media have been investigated. Conditions have been determined under which the gradient optical force increases by an order of magnitude without an increase in the strength of the external field. It has been shown that, depending on the material of the particle and the radiation wavelength, the self field of a nanocluster can both enhance and weaken the total force acting on the cluster. The use of optically induced forces for constructing a nanoengine has been suggested.

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Power dependent oxygenation state transition of red blood cells in a single beam optical trap

Rui Liu, Lena Zheng, Dennis L. Matthews, Noriko Satake, and James W. Chan

Laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy (LTRS) was used to demonstrate that a red blood cell (RBC) in a single beam optical trap transitions from an oxygenated to a partially deoxygenated state with increasing trapping power. Continuous switching between the two states is possible by repeatedly cycling between low and high trapping powers. Alterations in the hemoglobin conformation and interactions due to cell folding in the trap are proposed to be responsible for the transition. This study demonstrates that mechanically induced biochemical changes by optical forces need to be considered when applying single beam optical tweezers for cell analysis. LTRS holds promise as a functional assay to characterize normal and diseased RBCs based on their biochemical response to the forces of a single beam optical trap.

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Drag reduction by DNA-grafting for single microspheres in a dilute λ-DNA solution

Olaf Ueberschär, Carolin Wagner, Tim Stangner, Konstanze Kühne, Christof Gutsche and Friedrich Kremer

The fluid resistance of single micrometre-sized blank and DNA-grafted polystyrene microspheres under shear flow is compared in purified water and dilute λ-DNA solutions by means of optical tweezers experiments with a high spatial (±4 nm) and temporal (±0.2 ms) resolution. The measurement results show that the drag experienced by a colloid in a dilute λ-DNA solution (molecular weight of 48,502 bp per molecule, radius of gyration of 0.5 μm) is significantly decreased if the microsphere bears a grafted DNA brush. This newly discovered drag reduction effect is studied for different parameters, comprising the molecular weight of the grafted DNA molecules (250 bp, 1000 bp and 4000 bp), the concentration of the λ-DNA solution (11, 17 and 23 μg ml−1, all being significantly smaller than the critical entanglement concentration c*), the microsphere core diameter (2 μm, 3 μm and 6 μm) as well as the flow speed of the medium (10–50 μm s−1). The maximum extent of the drag reduction is found to amount to (60 ± 20)% compared to the λ-DNA-induced contribution on the drag acting on blank colloids. We propose a theoretical explanation of this effect based on the combination of the dynamic density functional theory of Rauscher and co-workers [Rauscher M. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 2010;22:364109] and the stagnation length theory of polymer brushes, as it was established by Kim, Lobaskin et al. [Kim et al. Macromolecules 2008;42(10):3650–3655]. In particular, the solution of the Stokes equation (i.e., the Navier–Stokes equation for creeping flow) for the studied system yields a numerical prediction that is found to be in full accord with our experimental results within measurement uncertainty.

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