Forces and torques on the nanoscale: from measurement to applications
Author(s)
Date
2012Source Title
Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 8458, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation IX
Print ISSN
0277-786X
Publisher
SPIE
Volume
8458
Pages
1 - 10
Language
English
Type
Conference PaperItem Usage Stats
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112
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Abstract
The possibility of measuring microscopic forces down to the femtonewton range has opened new possibilities in fields such as biophysics and nanophotonics. I will review some of the techniques most often employed, namely the photonic force microscope (PFM) and the total internal reflection microscope (TIRM), which are able to measure tiny forces acting on optically trapped particles. I will then discuss several applications of such nanoscopic forces: from plasmonic optical manipulation, to self-propelled microswimmers, to self-organization in large ensembles of particles.
Keywords
Brownian motionForce
Nanoscience
Optical tweezers
Photonic force microscope
Plasmonics
Torque
Total internal reflection microscopy