The high intensity of focused laser radiation does not only allow the modification of material properties. In 1970, Arthur Ashkin discovered that micrometer sized particles can be trapped and moved by strongly focused light due to reflection and refraction of the incident photons. The effect can be used to control and manipulate transparent microscopic particles like polymer microspheres, microorganisms or cells. This setup will provide an introduction into the technique and usage of optical tweezers.
Further content and detailed descriptions are available to enrolled students via the course's page at the Moodle website of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.