Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

$Interference and Diffraction$ 02:18

Interference and Diffraction

Interference is a characteristic phenomenon exhibited by waves. When two electromagnetic waves interact with their peaks and troughs coinciding, a resulting wave with enhanced amplitude is produced. This is known as constructive interference. In this case, the two waves interacting are in phase with each other.

Focusing of Light in the Eye

Focusing of Light in the Eye

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...

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal microscopy is an advanced microscopic technique. The prime advantage of the confocal microscope over other microscopy techniques is its ability to block the out-of-focus light from the illuminated samples using pinholes. It is widely used with fluorescence optics to obtain high-resolution, sharp contrast images. Unlike optical microscopes, confocal microscopes use a focused beam of light laser to scan the entire sample surface at different z-planes. These microscopes are, therefore,...

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

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...

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy or TIRF is an advanced microscopic technique used to visualize fluorophores in samples close to a solid surface with a higher refractive index, such as a glass coverslip. TIRF only allows fluorophores in proximity to the solid surface to be excited. When light from a medium with a lower refractive index (such as air) hits the glass coverslip at a critical angle, the light undergoes total internal reflection stead of passing through the glass.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Light-momentum-driven soft optical waveguide micro-actuators.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Active billiards: Engineering boundaries for the spatial control of confined active particles.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Holographic tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Single-cell level LasR-mediated quorum sensing response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to pulses of signal molecules.

Scientific reports·2024

Same author

3D-printed ultra-small Brownian viscometers.

Scientific reports·2024

Same author

Optically Actuated Soft Microrobot Family for Single-Cell Manipulation.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Direct Force Measurements of Subcellular Mechanics in Confinement using Optical Tweezers

Direct Force Measurements of Subcellular Mechanics in Confinement using Optical Tweezers

Published on: August 31, 2021

Optical forces through guided light deflections.

Darwin Palima¹, Andrew Rafael Bañas, Gaszton Vizsnyiczai

¹DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark. dazp@fotonik.dtu.dk

|February 8, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers demonstrate a novel optical manipulation technique using shaped objects, specifically bent waveguides. This method significantly enhances optical force efficiency compared to traditional spherical bead trapping, enabling new possibilities in optomechanics.

More Related Videos

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

Published on: March 20, 2017

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation

Published on: February 4, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Direct Force Measurements of Subcellular Mechanics in Confinement using Optical Tweezers

Direct Force Measurements of Subcellular Mechanics in Confinement using Optical Tweezers

Published on: August 31, 2021

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

Published on: March 20, 2017

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation

Published on: February 4, 2017

Area of Science:

Optomechanics
Nanotechnology
Materials Science

Background:

Conventional optical trapping and manipulation rely on shaping light beams to control spherical objects.
Light-matter interactions and object shape influence optical force and optomechanical effects.
Existing methods often involve position-dependent forces, limiting manipulation capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate object shaping for controlled optical manipulation.
To explore the potential of bent waveguides for enhanced optical force generation.
To demonstrate a new approach to optical manipulation beyond conventional trapping.

Main Methods:

Numerical simulations of light propagation and force generation in bent waveguides.
Experimental realization of optical manipulation using two-photon polymerized waveguides.
Comparison of force efficiency between waveguides and spherical trapping handles.

Main Results:

Bent waveguides demonstrated an order-of-magnitude improvement in optical force efficiency compared to microbeads.
Experimental results confirmed superior force generation by waveguides over spherical trapping handles.
Static illumination on waveguides produced constant force on moving structures, unlike conventional trapping potentials.

Conclusions:

Object shaping, specifically using bent waveguides, offers a highly efficient method for optical manipulation.
This approach provides a significant advancement in optomechanical control and force generation.
The technique enables new manipulation paradigms with constant force application on moving objects.