Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Quantitative Analysis of Viscoelastic Properties of Red Blood Cells Using Optical Tweezers and Defocusing Microscopy
Published on: March 25, 2022
Detecting Swelling States of Red Blood Cells by "Cell-Fluid Coupling Spectroscopy"
Carla Zensen1, Isis E Fernandez2, Oliver Eickelberg3
1Photonics and Optoelectronics Group Department of Physics and Center for Nanoscience Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Amalienstr. 5480799 Munich Germany; Photonics and Optoelectronics Group Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM) Schellingstraße 480799 Munich Germany.
Abstract:
Red blood cells are "shaken" with a holographic optical tweezer array. The flow generated around cells due to the periodic optical forcing is measured with an optically trapped "detector" particle located in the cell vicinity. A signal-processing model that describes the cell's physical properties as an analog filter illustrates how cells can be distinguished from each other.

