The optical cell rotator.
The optical cell rotator (OCR) is a modified dual-beam laser trap for the holding and controlled rotation of suspended dielectric microparticles, such as cells. In contrast to optical tweezers, OCR uses two counter-propagating divergent laser beams, which are shaped and delivered by optical fibers. The rotation of a trapped specimen is carried out by the rotation of a dual-mode fiber, emitting an asymmetric laser beam. Experiments were performed on human erythrocytes, promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL60), and cell clusters (MCF-7). Since OCR permits the rotation of cells around an axis perpendicular to the optical axis of any microscope and is fully decoupled from imaging optics, it could be a suitable and expedient tool for tomographic microscopy.
Department for Experimental Physics I, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. mkk26@cam.ac.uk
Moritz K
MK
Kreysing
Tobias
T
Kiessling
Anatol
A
Fritsch
Christian
C
Dietrich
Jochen R
JR
Guck
Josef A
JA
Käs
D002469:Cell Separation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055100:Optical Fibers; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D012399:Rotation