Development of a graded index microlens based fiber optical trap and its characterization using principal component analysis

J Nylk; M V G Kristensen; M Mazilu; A K Thayil; C A Mitchell; E C Campbell; S J Powis; F J Gunn-Moore; K Dholakia

doi:10.1364/BOE.6.001512

Development of a graded index microlens based fiber optical trap and its characterization using principal component analysis

Biomed Opt Express. 2015 Mar 27;6(4):1512-9. doi: 10.1364/BOE.6.001512. eCollection 2015 Apr 1.

Authors

J Nylk¹, M V G Kristensen², M Mazilu², A K Thayil¹, C A Mitchell¹, E C Campbell³, S J Powis⁴, F J Gunn-Moore³, K Dholakia²

Affiliations

¹ SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK ; School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TF, UK.
² SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK.
³ School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TF, UK.
⁴ School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TF, UK.

Abstract

We demonstrate a miniaturized single beam fiber optical trapping probe based on a high numerical aperture graded index (GRIN) micro-objective lens. This enables optical trapping at a distance of 200μm from the probe tip. The fiber trapping probe is characterized experimentally using power spectral density analysis and an original approach based on principal component analysis for accurate particle tracking. Its use for biomedical microscopy is demonstrated through optically mediated immunological synapse formation.

Keywords: (060.2310) Fiber optics; (110.2760) Gradient-index lenses; (170.0170) Medical optics and biotechnology; (170.3880) Medical and biological imaging; (170.4520) Optical confinement and manipulation; (180.0180) Microscopy; (180.2520) Fluorescence microscopy; (350.4855) Optical tweezers or optical manipulation.