Reflections of a lucid dreamer: optical trap design considerations.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the optical trap design considerations. The optical trap technique can be used to constrain and move small particles in solution using a light microscope and laser beam. Trapping size scales and sensitivity are well suited for studying the mechanical properties of single cells, organelles, and even molecules. The chapter describes considerations involved in the planning and implementation of an optical trapping microscope for high-resolution force and displacement measurements of trapped particles. These molecules will bind to and move the actin filament, allowing measurement of their mechanical properties at the single molecule level. The chapter illustrates the observations that these beads with nanometer resolution use active feedback loops to suppress bead diffusion by rapid trap deflection, and observethe specimen by using brightfield and fluorescent imaging simultaneously.