Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity02:24

Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity

16.1K
It is essential to understand the difference between chiral and achiral interactions and the implications thereof in optical activity and their applications. Just as our feet, which are chiral, interact uniquely with chiral objects, such as a pair of shoes, but identically with achiral socks, enantiomers of a molecule exhibit different properties only when they interact with other chiral media. An example of a significant implication from this facet is the phenomenon known as optical activity,...
16.1K
Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy01:18

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

9.2K
Optical microscopy uses optic principles to provide detailed images of samples. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek designed the first compound optical microscope in the 17th century to visualize blood cells, bacteria, and yeast cells. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes with enhanced magnification and resolution.
In optical microscopy, the specimen to be viewed is placed on a glass slide and clipped on the stage...
9.2K
Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy01:26

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

9.4K
Phase-Contrast Microscopes
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...
9.4K
Focusing of Light in the Eye01:16

Focusing of Light in the Eye

6.2K
Light rays enter the eye through the cornea, a transparent dome-shaped tissue that is the eye's outermost layer. The cornea bends or refracts, light rays traveling to the pupil. The shape of the cornea determines how much of the light is bent and whether the image will be focused correctly on the retina at the back of the eye. Once the light has passed through both refraction layers, it converges into a single focal point onto a small area. This is where photoreceptors start transforming...
6.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Quantitative holographic agglutination assay for immunoglobulin A.

Biomedical optics express·2026
Same author

Nonreciprocal Wave-Mediated Interactions Power a Classical Time Crystal.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Simultaneous Holographic Molecular Binding Assays with Internal Calibration Standards.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026
Same author

Multivalency Controls the Growth and Dynamics of a Biomolecular Condensate.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025
Same author

Measuring colloidomer hydrodynamics with holographic video microscopy.

Physical review. E·2024
Same author

Spectral holographic trapping: Creating dynamic force landscapes with polyphonic waves.

Physical review. E·2024
Same journal

Harmonizing standards and resources for the medical genome.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Towards the construction of a virtual yeast.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Aerosols and hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of a white dwarf planet.

Nature·2026
Same journal

TROP2 targeting reveals therapy-driven cell state dynamics in colorectal cancer.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Competing programs shape cortical sensorimotor-association axis development.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Steatosis shapes prognosis-defining liver metastasis heterogeneity in CRC.

Nature·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Multimodal Volumetric Retinal Imaging by Oblique Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy oSLO and Optical Coherence Tomography OCT
12:22

Multimodal Volumetric Retinal Imaging by Oblique Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy oSLO and Optical Coherence Tomography OCT

Published on: August 4, 2018

8.0K

A revolution in optical manipulation.

David G Grier1

  • 1Department of Physics, James Franck Institute and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, 5640 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. grier@elbereth.uchicago.edu

Nature
|August 15, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Optical tweezers utilize light forces to manipulate microscopic objects. Advancements are expanding their use from labs to manufacturing, diagnostics, and even consumer products.

More Related Videos

Safe Experimentation in Optical Levitation of Charged Droplets Using Remote Labs
09:09

Safe Experimentation in Optical Levitation of Charged Droplets Using Remote Labs

Published on: January 10, 2019

7.3K
Shaping the Amplitude and Phase of Laser Beams by Using a Phase-only Spatial Light Modulator
08:39

Shaping the Amplitude and Phase of Laser Beams by Using a Phase-only Spatial Light Modulator

Published on: January 28, 2019

9.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Multimodal Volumetric Retinal Imaging by Oblique Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy oSLO and Optical Coherence Tomography OCT
12:22

Multimodal Volumetric Retinal Imaging by Oblique Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy oSLO and Optical Coherence Tomography OCT

Published on: August 4, 2018

8.0K
Safe Experimentation in Optical Levitation of Charged Droplets Using Remote Labs
09:09

Safe Experimentation in Optical Levitation of Charged Droplets Using Remote Labs

Published on: January 10, 2019

7.3K
Shaping the Amplitude and Phase of Laser Beams by Using a Phase-only Spatial Light Modulator
08:39

Shaping the Amplitude and Phase of Laser Beams by Using a Phase-only Spatial Light Modulator

Published on: January 28, 2019

9.4K

Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Biophysics
  • Chemistry

Background:

  • Optical tweezers, developed in 1986, leverage light forces for precise manipulation of nanoscale to microscale objects.
  • They are established tools in biology, physical chemistry, and soft condensed matter physics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the evolution and expanding applications of optical tweezer technology.
  • To introduce the potential of next-generation single-beam optical traps.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing forces from strongly focused light beams to trap and move objects.
  • Focusing on advancements in optical tweezer technology.

Main Results:

  • Optical tweezers are versatile tools for manipulating objects from nanometers to micrometers.
  • Recent progress indicates broader applications beyond traditional research settings.

Conclusions:

  • Optical tweezers are transitioning from laboratory instruments to potential mainstream manufacturing and diagnostic tools.
  • Next-generation single-beam optical traps present significant opportunities for future research and development.