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J. Mervis

Bio: J. Mervis is an academic researcher from Harvard University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Cylindrical lens & Optical fiber. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 3 publications receiving 341 citations.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
A. Constable1, Jinha Kim1, J. Mervis1, F. Zarinetchi1, Mara Prentiss1 
TL;DR: A fiber-optical version of a stable three-dimensional light-force trap is demonstrated, which has been used to hold and manipulate small dielectric spheres and living yeast.
Abstract: We demonstrate a fiber-optical version of a stable three-dimensional light-force trap, which we have used to hold and manipulate small dielectric spheres and living yeast. We show that the trap can be constructed by use of infrared diode lasers with fiber pigtails, without any external optics.

337 citations

Patent
17 Nov 1992
TL;DR: In this paper, a method for the use of light pressure to optically center a lens on a source of emitted light with submicron accuracy is described, where the lens is then fixed in place.
Abstract: A method for the use of light pressure to optically center a lens on a source of emitted light with submicron accuracy. In one aspect the method uses light pressure to optically center a lens on a source of emitted light, where the lens is then fixed in place. In another aspect the method uses light pressure to create an optically centered lens from a dielectric liquid on a source of emitted light, the shaped lens is then fixed to form an optically aligned permanent lens. By choosing the appropriate lens the light emitted from the source can be either focused or collimated.

19 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors demonstrate two simple and inexpensive methods of using the force exerted by the light transmitted through an optical fiber to center a lens on the fiber core with submicrometer accuracy.
Abstract: We demonstrate two simple and inexpensive methods of using the force exerted by the light transmitted through an optical fiber to center a lens on the fiber core with submicrometer accuracy. By choosing the appropriate lens one can either focus, collimate, or defocus the light emerging from the fiber. We discuss extensions of this technique to a wider variety of lenses and light sources, including semiconductor lasers.

13 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Theories and Applications of Picotensiometry, Foundations of Trup Stiffness Measurements, and more.
Abstract: D ESIGN CON SID ERATION S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Bll/ding a Trap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Beam Steering 254 Trapping Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 T RAPPIN G TH EORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . 260 Ray-Optics Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Electromagnetic Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 F ORCE M EASUREM EN T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Measurement of Trap Stiffness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Physics of Trup Stiffness Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 B�ownia,! Motion During Force Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 PlcotenslOmeters 273 Other Applications of Picotensiometry .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Determinants of Trapping Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

1,822 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The magnitude of the deforming forces in the optical stretcher bridges the gap between optical tweezers and atomic force microscopy for the study of biologic materials.

959 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Hu Zhang1, Kuo-Kang Liu1
TL;DR: Current limitations and future challenges of OT for these new paradigms are highlighted and the future trends of employing OT in single cells, especially in stem cell delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are prospected.
Abstract: Optical tweezers (OT) have emerged as an essential tool for manipulating single biological cells and performing sophisticated biophysical/biomechanical characterizations. Distinct advantages of using tweezers for these characterizations include non-contact force for cell manipulation, force resolution as accurate as 100 aN and amiability to liquid medium environments. Their wide range of applications, such as transporting foreign materials into single cells, delivering cells to specific locations and sorting cells in microfluidic systems, are reviewed in this article. Recent developments of OT for nanomechanical characterization of various biological cells are discussed in terms of both their theoretical and experimental advancements. The future trends of employing OT in single cells, especially in stem cell delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, are prospected. More importantly, current limitations and future challenges of OT for these new paradigms are also highlighted in this review.

675 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the importance of exploring the optically mediated interaction between assembled objects that can cause attractive and repulsive forces and dramatically influence the way they assemble and organize themselves is discussed.
Abstract: The light-matter interaction has been at the heart of major advances from the atomic scale right to the microscopic scale over the past four decades. Confinement by light, embodied by the area of optical trapping, has had a major influence across all of the natural sciences. However, an emergent and powerful topic within this field that has steadily merged but not gained much recognition is optical binding: the importance of exploring the optically mediated interaction between assembled objects that can cause attractive and repulsive forces and dramatically influence the way they assemble and organize themselves. This offers routes for colloidal self-assembly, crystallization, and organization of templates for biological and colloidal sciences. In this Colloquium, this emergent area is reviewed looking at the pioneering experiments in the field and the various theoretical approaches that aim to describe this behavior. The latest experimental studies in the field are reviewed and theoretical approaches are now beginning to converge to describe the binding behavior seen. Recent links between optical binding and nonlinearity are explored as well as future themes and challenges.

430 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Müller cells seem to mediate the image transfer through the vertebrate retina with minimal distortion and low loss, elucidates a fundamental feature of the inverted retina as an optical system and ascribes a new function to glial cells.
Abstract: Although biological cells are mostly transparent, they are phase objects that differ in shape and refractive index. Any image that is projected through layers of randomly oriented cells will normally be distorted by refraction, reflection, and scattering. Counterintuitively, the retina of the vertebrate eye is inverted with respect to its optical function and light must pass through several tissue layers before reaching the light-detecting photoreceptor cells. Here we report on the specific optical properties of glial cells present in the retina, which might contribute to optimize this apparently unfavorable situation. We investigated intact retinal tissue and individual Muller cells, which are radial glial cells spanning the entire retinal thickness. Muller cells have an extended funnel shape, a higher refractive index than their surrounding tissue, and are oriented along the direction of light propagation. Transmission and reflection confocal microscopy of retinal tissue in vitro and in vivo showed that these cells provide a low-scattering passage for light from the retinal surface to the photoreceptor cells. Using a modified dual-beam laser trap we could also demonstrate that individual Muller cells act as optical fibers. Furthermore, their parallel array in the retina is reminiscent of fiberoptic plates used for low-distortion image transfer. Thus, Muller cells seem to mediate the image transfer through the vertebrate retina with minimal distortion and low loss. This finding elucidates a fundamental feature of the inverted retina as an optical system and ascribes a new function to glial cells.

398 citations