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Lasertweezersgrabnanobits|ScienceNewsforStudents

PHYSICS

Lasertweezersgrab
nanobits
Newmethoduseslaserlighttoholdandmovevirussized
particles
BY STEPHEN ORNES MAR 18, 2014 9:00 AM EST

That shiny gold dot in the middle of this drawing is a tiny plastic bead, only 50 billionths of a
meter across. The image depicts how the particle is being held in place by laser light, focused by
the bow tieshaped hole. Similar laser tweezers might one day be used to hold and manipulate
individual viruses, proteins and other nanosized objects.
R. QUIDANT

RomainQuidant'snewtweezersareuselessforpullingoutsplinters.Butthey
willgrabandmoveaboutplasticbeadsthatmeasurejustbillionthsofameter
across.Thedevicethatheandhiscoworkersbuiltuseslaserlightto
manipulateobjectsthatarenotoriouslyhardtocontrolsuchasvirusesand
proteins.
Youcouldputtheseparticlesexactlywhereyouwantthem,PhilJonestold
ScienceNews.JonesisaphysicistatUniversityCollegeLondonwhostudies
thepropertiesoflight.Hedidnotworkonthenewlasertweezers.
QuidantisaphysicistattheInstituteofPhotonicSciencesinBarcelona,
Spain.Heinvestigatesthepropertiesoflightatthenanoscale.(Ananometer
isonebillionthofameter.Forcomparison,ahumanhairisabout80,000to
100,000nanometersthick.)
Usinglaserlighttoholdinplacetinysamplesisntnew.Sincethe1980s,
scientistshavestudiedmolecules,bacteriaandotherminusculeobjectsunder
themicroscopebytrappingthemwithlaserlight.Lensesfocusthelight
towardthesample.Lightthengentlynudgesanobjectandholdsitinplace.

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towardthesample.Lightthengentlynudgesanobjectandholdsitinplace.
However,thatmethodhasitsdrawbacks.Forone,laserlighthastrouble
trappingthingsthataresmallerthanitsownwavelength.(Lightcantravelas
awave,anditswavelengthwillbethedistancefromthecrestofonewaveto
thenext.)Laserlighthasawavelengthofbetween400and700nanometers.
Butvirusesandproteinsareonlyafewdozennanometersacross.Tostudy
thingsthatsmall,scientistshaveturnedtomoreenergeticlasers.Butthey
canoverheatasample,destroyingit.
ThetweezersQuidantandhisteambuiltgetsaroundthatproblem.Theynow
canholdananosamplewithoutfryingit.Thekeywasdevelopingtheproper
lens.
Inearlierexperiments,theyhadobservedthatelectronsswimmingaroundin
metals,suchasgold,couldactlikenanosizedlensesandredirectlightinto
tinyspaces.(Electronsareparticlesthatcarryanegativecharge.Theymove
freelyacrossmetalssuchasgold.)Thephysicistsputthatideatoworkin
theirnewtweezers.
Tobuildit,theyattachedgoldfilmtotheendofanopticalfiber.(Thefiberis
madeupofthin,transparentthreadsofglassorplasticthatcantransmit
light.)Thentheresearcherscutasmall,bowtieshapeinthegoldfilm.When
theyshinedlaserlightthroughtheopticalfiber,thebowtieshapedhole
focusedthelight.
Totestthenewdevicesgrippingpower,theydippeditintoatankofwater
containingplasticbeads.Eachbeadwasnomorethan50nanometersin
diameter.Thebeadscannotbetrappedwithconventionaltweezers,Quidant
toldScienceNews.Butthenewtweezerssuccessfullygrabbedindividual
beadsandheldontoeachforminutesatatime.Quidantsteamreportedits
achievement,March2,inNatureNanotechnology.
Thescientistsalsoattachedamotortotheopticalfiber.Thisallowedthemto
movethefiberslowlyindifferentdirections.Thattestshowedthatthe
tweezerscouldmanipulateatinyparticleheldinitsgrasp.Andifatrapped
beadbegantofloataway,thelaserlightnudgeditrightback.
Thenewtoolrequiresonlyaboutasmuchpowerasalaserpointer.That
meansitshouldntoverheattiny,delicateobjectswhiletheyarebeing
observed.That'sparticularlyimportantinbiology,sincetoomuchheatcould
killalivingsample.
Jonessayshecanimagineafuturewhenbiologistscouldusethetooltopick
upavirus,stickitonacellandwatchitattack.Itsaveryclevermethod,
hesaid.

PowerWords
biologyThestudyoflivingthings.Thescientistswhostudythemare
knownasbiologists.

fiberopticsTheuseofthin,flexiblefibersofglass(knownasoptical
fibers)orothertransparentsolidstotransmitlightsignals,chieflyfor
telecommunications.
laserAdevicethatgeneratesanintensebeamofcoherentlightofasingle
color.Lasersareusedindrillingandcutting,alignmentandguidance,andin
surgery.

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lens(inphysics)Atransparentmaterialthatcaneitherfocusorspreadout
parallelraysoflightastheypassthroughit.
microscopeAninstrumentusedtoviewobjects,suchasbacteriaorthe
singlecellsofplantsoranimals,whicharetoosmalltobevisibletothe
unaidedeye.
nanoAprefixindicatingabillionth.Itsoftenusedasanabbreviationto
refertoobjectsthatmeasureinthebillionthsofameterinlengthorin
diameter.
nanoparticleAsmallparticlemeasuredinthebillionthsofameter.
opticalfibers(seefiberoptics)
particleAminuteamountofsomething.
photonicsTechnologyandresearchonthepropertiesandtransmissionof
lightparticles,calledphotons.
physicistAscientistwhostudiesthenatureandpropertiesofmatterand
energy.
wavelengthThedistancebetweenonepeakandthenextinaseriesof
waves,orthedistancebetweenonetroughandthenext.Visiblelight
which,likeallelectromagneticradiation,travelsinwavesincludes
wavelengthsbetweenabout380nanometers(violet)andabout740
nanometers(red).Radiationwithwavelengthsshorterthanvisiblelight
includesgammarays,Xraysandultravioletlight.Longerwavelengthradiation
includesinfraredlight,microwavesandradiowaves.
Readability Score:
7.0

FurtherReading
A. Grant. Laser tweezers manipulate objects just 50 nanometers wide. Science News.
March 2, 2014.
S. Ornes. Building a mirror with light. Science News for Students. Feb. 8, 2014.
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