Optical forces can be used to manipulate biological and colloidal material in a non-contact manner. This forms the foundation of a wealth of exciting science, particularly in the fields of physics, biology and soft condensed matter. Although the standard Gaussian single-beam trap remains a very powerful tool, shaping the phase and amplitude of a light field provides unusual light patterns that add a major new dimension to research into particle manipulation. This Review summarizes the impact and emerging applications of shaped light in the field of optical manipulation.

Shaping the future of manipulation

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.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsif.2008.0052

Optical tweezers for single cells

We demonstrate a new approach to known-plaintext attack on an optical encryption scheme based on double random phase keys. With this attack an opponent can access both random phase keys with the help of the phase retrieval technique. This demonstration shows that an optical encryption scheme based on double random encoding is vulnerable to known-plaintext attack.

Known-plaintext attack on optical encryption based on double random phase keys

We propose an asymmetric cryptosystem based on a phase-truncated Fourier transform. With phase truncation in Fourier transform, one is able to produce an asymmetric ciphertext as real-valued and stationary white noise by using two random phase keys as public keys, while a legal user can retrieve the plaintext using another two different private phase keys in the decryption process. Owing to the nonlinear operation of phase truncation, high robustness against existing attacks could be achieved. A set of simulation results shows the validity of proposed asymmetric cryptosystem.

Asymmetric cryptosystem based on phase-truncated Fourier transforms.

Over the years extensive studies have been carried out to apply coherent optics methods in real-time communications and image transmission. This is especially true when a large amount of information needs to be processed, e.g., in high-resolution imaging. The recent progress in data-processing networks and communication systems has considerably increased the capacity of information exchange. However, the transmitted data can be intercepted by nonauthorized people. This explains why considerable effort is being devoted at the current time to data encryption and secure transmission. In addition, only a small part of the overall information is really useful for many applications. Consequently, applications can tolerate information compression that requires important processing when the transmission bit rate is taken into account. To enable efficient and secure information exchange, it is often necessary to reduce the amount of transmitted information. In this context, much work has been undertaken using the principle of coherent optics filtering for selecting relevant information and encrypting it. Compression and encryption operations are often carried out separately, although they are strongly related and can influence each other. Optical processing methodologies, based on filtering, are described that are applicable to transmission and/or data storage. Finally, the advantages and limitations of a set of optical compression and encryption methods are discussed.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/51/69/80/PDF/20.pdf

Optical image compression and encryption methods

We show how optical encryption methods based on double random phase keys are vulnerable to an organized attack of the chosen-ciphertext type. The decryption key can be easily obtained by an opponent who has repeated access to either the encryption or decryption machines. However, we have also devised a solution that prevents the attack. Our results cast doubts on the present security of these techniques.

Vulnerability to chosen-cyphertext attacks of optical encryption schemes based on double random phase keys.

The random mask encoding technique of multiplexing phase-only filters can be easily adapted to the generation of holographic optical tweezers. The result is a direct, non-iterative and extremely fast algorithm that can be used for computing arbitrary arrays of optical traps. Additional benefits include the possibility of modifying any existing hologram to quickly add more trapping sites and the inexistence of ghost traps or replicas.

Fast generation of holographic optical tweezers by random mask encoding of Fourier components

Back-focal-plane interferometry is used to measure displacements of optically trapped samples with very high spatial and temporal resolution. However, the technique is closely related to a method that measures the rate of change in light momentum. It has long been known that displacements of the interference pattern at the back focal plane may be used to track the optical force directly, provided that a considerable fraction of the light is effectively monitored. Nonetheless, the practical application of this idea has been limited to counter-propagating, low-aperture beams where the accurate momentum measurements are possible. Here, we experimentally show that the connection can be extended to single-beam optical traps. In particular, we show that, in a gradient trap, the calibration product κ·β (where κ is the trap stiffness and 1/β is the position sensitivity) corresponds to the factor that converts detector signals into momentum changes; this factor is uniquely determined by three construction features of the detection instrument and does not depend, therefore, on the specific conditions of the experiment. Then, we find that force measurements obtained from back-focal-plane displacements are in practice not restricted to a linear relationship with position and hence they can be extended outside that regime. Finally, and more importantly, we show that these properties are still recognizable even when the system is not fully optimized for light collection. These results should enable a more general use of back-focal-plane interferometry whenever the ultimate goal is the measurement of the forces exerted by an optical trap.

/pdf/optimized-back-focal-plane-interferometry-directly-measures-4sgkcyoqdk.pdf

Optimized back-focal-plane interferometry directly measures forces of optically trapped particles

We provide a detailed account of the construction of a system of holographic optical tweezers. While a lot of information is available on the design, alignment and calibration of other optical trapping configurations, those based on holography are relatively poorly described. Inclusion of a spatial light modulator in the set-up gives rise to particular design trade-offs and constraints, and the system benefits from specific optimization strategies, which we discuss.

http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/bitstream/2445/69686/1/590674.pdf

Design strategies for optimizing holographic optical tweezers set-ups

Despite the tremendous success of force-measuring optical traps in recent years, the calibration methods most commonly used in the field have been plagued with difficulties and limitations. Force sensing based on direct measurement of light momentum changes stands out among these as an exception. Especially significant is this method’s potential for working within living cells, with non-spherical particles or with non-Gaussian beams. However, so far, the technique has only been implemented in counter-propagating dual-beam traps, which are difficult to align and integrate with other microscopy techniques. Here, we show the feasibility of a single-beam gradient-trap system working with a force detection technique based on this same principle.

Mario Montes-Usategui

Papers

Vulnerability to chosen-cyphertext attacks of optical encryption schemes based on double random phase keys.

Fast generation of holographic optical tweezers by random mask encoding of Fourier components

Optimized back-focal-plane interferometry directly measures forces of optically trapped particles

Design strategies for optimizing holographic optical tweezers set-ups

A force detection technique for single-beam optical traps based on direct measurement of light momentum changes.