Lasers Used for Particle Research
Using special laser beams, Scottish researchers have devised a system to use the slight force of light to spin microscopic particles, a development that may play an important role in micromachines and biological research.
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WASHINGTON (AP) - In a study appearing Friday in the journal Science, researchers report that by special angling and focusing of laser light they are able to cause extremely small objects, such as chromosomes, to rotate.
Michael MacDonald, a physicist at St. Andrews University in Fife, Scotland, said the technique can be used to spin a tiny cog, which, in turn, could drive other cogs. This would make it possible to power micromachines, which are mechanical devices built to the scale of a micron. A human hair is about 100 microns thick.
``Our techniques could be used to drive motors, mixers, centrifuges and other rotating parts in cheap, tiny, automated technologies of the future,' said Kishan Dholakia, a St. Andrews researcher and co-author of the study.
MacDonald said that using the laser technique, the researchers were able to rapidly spin a glass rod that was just one micron across. Such techniques, he said, could be used to stir microscopic droplets of biological material to assist in experiments at a cellular level.
In another experiment, the researchers caused a single chromosome to rotate. MacDonald said this technique could be used to orient DNA strands during biological experiments.
The technique uses light as a tweezer, trapping particles by the force of refracted light. The particles cause light beams to bend slightly, imparting a momentum that is enough to immobilize the particle. By varying the laser angle to create a spiral light pattern, the Scottish researchers could cause the trapped particles to spin.
Michael MacDonald, a physicist at St. Andrews University in Fife, Scotland, said the technique can be used to spin a tiny cog, which, in turn, could drive other cogs. This would make it possible to power micromachines, which are mechanical devices built to the scale of a micron. A human hair is about 100 microns thick.
``Our techniques could be used to drive motors, mixers, centrifuges and other rotating parts in cheap, tiny, automated technologies of the future,' said Kishan Dholakia, a St. Andrews researcher and co-author of the study.
MacDonald said that using the laser technique, the researchers were able to rapidly spin a glass rod that was just one micron across. Such techniques, he said, could be used to stir microscopic droplets of biological material to assist in experiments at a cellular level.
In another experiment, the researchers caused a single chromosome to rotate. MacDonald said this technique could be used to orient DNA strands during biological experiments.
The technique uses light as a tweezer, trapping particles by the force of refracted light. The particles cause light beams to bend slightly, imparting a momentum that is enough to immobilize the particle. By varying the laser angle to create a spiral light pattern, the Scottish researchers could cause the trapped particles to spin.
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