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arXiv · 2003.01623

Optical transport of sub-micron lipid vesicles along an optical nanofibre

Abstract

Enhanced manipulation and analysis of bio-particles using light confined in nano-scale dielectric structures has proceeded apace in the last several years. Small mode volumes, along with the lack of a need for bulky optical elements give advantages in sensitivity and scalability relative to conventional optical manipulation. However, manipulation of lipid vesicles (liposomes) remains difficult, particularly in the sub-micron diameter regime. Here we demonstrate the optical trapping and transport of sub-micron diameter liposomes along an optical nanofiber using the nanofiber mode's evanescent field. We find that nanofiber diameters below a nominal diffraction limit give optimal results. Our results pave the way for integrated optical transport and analysis of liposome-like bio-particles, as well as their coupling to nano-optical resonators.

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Takaaki Yoshino, Daichi Yamaura, Maki Komiya, Masakazu Sugawara, Yasuyoshi Mitsumori, Michio Niwano, Ayumi Hirano-Iwata, Keiichi Edamatsu, Mark Sadgrove. 2020-09-18. Optical transport of sub-micron lipid vesicles along an optical nanofibre. https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.411124

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