The optical trapping of nanoparticles and microparticles by a Gaussian standing wave is experimentally demonstrated for the first time to the authors' knowledge. The standing wave is obtained under a microscope objective as a result of the interference of an incoming laser beam and a beam reflected on a microscope slide that has been coated with a system of reflective dielectric layers. Experimental results show that three-dimensional trapping of nanoparticles (100-nm polystyrene spheres) and one or more vertically aligned micro-objects (5-μm polystyrene spheres, yeast cells) can easily be achieved by use of even highly aberrated beams or objectives with low numerical apertures.
© 1999 Optical Society of America
Pavel Zemánek, Alexandr Jonáš, Libor Šrámek, and Miroslav Liška, "Optical trapping of nanoparticles and microparticles by a Gaussian standing wave," Opt. Lett. 24, 1448-1450 (1999)