mmi CellManipulator® is an optical trap that enables
ultraprecise, contact-free manipulation of microscopic
particles. The optical tweezers use a focused laser beam
to trap, move and position single cells or sub-cellular
and microscopic particles in a size range of
approximately 0.1 micro – 200 micro.
The trapping action of optical tweezers is created
because optical gradient force is more powerful than
scattering and absorption forces. The trap itself is
created by the effects of pressure generated by strongly
focused laser light. A transparent particle with a
refractive index greater than the medium inevitably
moves towards the center of the beam, resulting in
three-dimensional trapping.
Specially designed optics introduce the laser beam
through the epifluorescence port of an inverted
microscope. The same lens is used to view and trap
particles immersed in a liquid.
mmi CellManipulator® traps particles using a
high-quality, YAG-type infrared laser with a wavelength
of 1064 nm and 3 W trapping power. The wavelength was
chosen because it does not destroy living organisms.
