A new method for calibrating the nonlinear range of a single-beam optical trap (Presentation Recording)

Jamianne C. Wilcox; Benjamin J. Lopez; Otger Campas; Megan T. Valentine

doi:10.1117/12.2190397

5 October 2015 A new method for calibrating the nonlinear range of a single-beam optical trap (Presentation Recording)

Jamianne C. Wilcox, Benjamin J. Lopez, Otger Campas, Megan T. Valentine

Proceedings Volume 9548, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation XII; 95480Y (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2190397
Event: SPIE Nanoscience + Engineering, 2015, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Optical traps allow for the precise application and measurement of pico-Newton forces in a wide variety of situations, and are particularly well suited for biophysical measurements of motor proteins and cells. Nearly all experiments exploit the linear regime of the optical trap, where force and displacement are related by a simple spring constant that does not depend on the trapped object’s position. This typically limits the useful force range to < 100 pN for high-NA objective lenses and reasonable laser powers. Several biological studies require larger forces, which are not accessible in the linear regime of the trap. The best means to extend the maximum force is to make use of the entire nonlinear range; however, current techniques for calibrating the full nonlinear regime are limited. Here we report a new method for calibrating the nonlinear trap region that uses the fluctuations in the position of a trapped object when it is displaced from the center of a single gradient optical trap by controlled flow. From the position fluctuations, we measure the local trap stiffness, in both the linear and non-linear regimes. This approach requires only knowledge of the system temperature, and is especially useful for measurements involving trapped objects of unknown size, or objects in a fluid of unknown viscosity.

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Jamianne C. Wilcox, Benjamin J. Lopez, Otger Campas, and Megan T. Valentine "A new method for calibrating the nonlinear range of a single-beam optical trap (Presentation Recording)", Proc. SPIE 9548, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation XII, 95480Y (5 October 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2190397

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KEYWORDS

Optical tweezers

Calibration

Nonlinear optics

Lenses

Objectives

Proteins

Temperature metrology

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