Holographic optical tweezers:: Manipulations at an air-liquid interface

By performing experiments at an air-water interface, we operate Holographic Optical Tweezers in a qualitatively new environment. In this regime, trapping and moving of micro particles may allow access to parameters like local viscosity and surface tension. Polystyrene micro beads are naturally stabilized in the interface due to a minimum in surface energy. For this reason, they can also be manipulated by light patterns with small axial field gradients, without causing the particles to escape due to scattering forces. In this manner, the interface provides a true two-dimensional "working environment", where particles can be manipulated with high efficiency. For example, we demonstrate different optical "micro tools", which utilize scattering and gradient forces to enable controlled transport of matter within the surface.