Since the time of their introduction, optical tweezers (OTs) have grown to be a powerful tool
in the hands of biologists. OTs use highly focused laser light to guide, manipulate, or sort …

Optical trapping and manipulation of objects down to the Ångstrom level has revolutionized
research at the smallest scales in all natural sciences. The flexibility of optical trapping …

The interaction between structured light beams possessing optical angular momentum and
small particles promises new opportunities for optical manipulation, such as the generation …

Colloidal metal nanocrystals exhibit distinct plasmonic resonances that can greatly enhance
optical forces and torques. This article highlights the recent application of such particles as …

Significance: Optical trapping is a technique capable of applying minute forces that has
been applied to studies spanning single molecules up to microorganisms. Aim: The goal of …

The ability to control the motion of single nanoparticles or molecules is currently one of the
major scientific and technological challenges. Despite tremendous progress in the field of …

We use topology optimization and adjoint sensitivity analysis to inversely design plasmonic
nanoapertures for nanoparticle optical trapping. Surprisingly, our algorithm produces a …

Studying the mechanical properties of living cells provides opportunities to unravel the
physical phenomena that govern biological functions. Macropinocytosis is a cellular …

It has been argued that linear microrheology with optical tweezers (MOT) of living systems
“is not an option” because of the wide gap between the observation time required to collect …

Exploring the rheological properties of intracellular materials is essential for understanding
cellular and subcellular processes. Optical traps have been widely used for physical …