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Optical Torque Wrench Design and Calibration

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Optical Tweezers

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1486))

Abstract

Expanding the capabilities of optical traps with angular control of the trapped particle has numerous potential applications in all fields where standard linear optical tweezers are employed. Here we describe in detail the construction, alignment, and calibration of the Optical Torque Wrench, a mode of function that can be added to linear optical tweezers to simultaneously apply and measure both force and torque on birefringent microscopic cylindrical particles. The interaction between the linear polarization of the laser and the birefringent cylinder creates an angular trap for the particle orientation, described by a periodic potential. As a consequence of the experimental control of the tilt of the periodic potential, the dynamical excitability of the system can be observed. Angular optical tweezers remain less widespread than their linear counterpart. We hope this technical guide can foster their development and new applications.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to B. Charlot (IES Montpellier, France) for the novel nano-fabrication protocol of the particles and their SEM image, and to A. Nord for critical reading of the manuscript. We acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement n.306475.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Single-Molecule Biophysics, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, CNRS UMR5048, UM, INSERM UMR1054, Montpellier, France

    Zhanna Santybayeva & Francesco Pedaci

Authors
  1. Zhanna Santybayeva
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  2. Francesco Pedaci
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology & Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA

    Arne Gennerich

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Santybayeva, Z., Pedaci, F. (2017). Optical Torque Wrench Design and Calibration. In: Gennerich, A. (eds) Optical Tweezers. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1486. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6421-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6421-5_7

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-6419-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6421-5

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