NanoTweezers Trap Objects
26 June 2008, 14:00
Categories: tools optics--photonics
Using laser light, researchers at the University of Manchester have made the first nano-optical tweezers that can trap and move objects on the nanoscale. The devices, which are based on “nanopillars”, offer many advantages over traditional optical tweezers; the new devices have a much bigger trapping force and provide significantly smaller trapping volumes for much less laser power than employed in conventional optical tweezers. The secret behind the new device is that it exploits “virtual” photons. The breakthrough result opens the way to manipulating fragile biological cells and making structures from nanoscale building blocks.
Posted by: The Editors
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