title: Using polarization-shaped optical vortex traps for single-cell nanosurgery.
abstract: Single-cell nanosurgery and the ability to manipulate nanometer-sized subcellular structures with optical tweezers has widespread applications in biology but so far has been limited by difficulties in maintaining the functionality of the transported subcellular organelles. This difficulty arises because of the propensity of optical tweezers to photodamage the trapped object. To address this issue, this paper describes the use of a polarization-shaped optical vortex trap, which exerts less photodamage on the trapped particle than conventional optical tweezers, for carrying out single-cell nanosurgical procedures. This method is also anticipated to find broad use in the trapping of any nanoparticles that are adversely affected by high-intensity laser light.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA.
authors.forename: Gavin D M
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Jeffries
authors.forename: J Scott
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Edgar
authors.forename: Yiqiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: J Patrick
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Shelby
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Daniel T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Chiu
mesh_terms: D007834:Lasers; D053758:Nanoparticles; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D015388:Organelles / Q000528:radiation effects; D018462:Photobiology; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000528:radiation effects