Optical tweezers and manipulators. Modern concepts and future prospect

Abstract

The review aims to generalize fundamental concepts that are necessary for understanding the mechanisms and principles of optical trapping in both liquid media and air. One of the objectives of the article is to familiarize a wide audience with the global experience and the prospects for developing the fundamental principles of the functioning of optical tweezers for various purposes. The paper describes in detail the design options of optical manipulators in terms of versatility and energy efficiency of their use in a wide range of modern practical purposes and tasks.

The Features of the Optical Traps Formation Using Silicon Ring Gratings with Variable Height

“…Currently, methods for capturing and manipulating various micro-objects are being actively studied [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14], in particular, using optical tweezers (optical traps) [13][14][15][16][17][18]. The use of optical traps has been shown to trap proteins, viruses, and vesicles not only theoretically, but also experimentally [19][20][21][22][23].…”