Annular optical trapping of metallic nanoparticles using the azimuthally polarized beam.

The unique physical and chemical properties make metallic nanoparticles promising for broad applications in many fields. Exploring the dynamics of metallic nanoparticles in optical traps is crucial for exploiting optical tweezers to advance the applications of metallic particles. In this paper, we present a detailed study of the annular optical trapping of gold nanoparticles with azimuthal polarization.

Optical trapping of gold microparticles using linearly polarized, centrally obstructed Gaussian beams.

Metallic microparticles larger than the illumination wavelength are commonly considered poor optical trapping candidates due to their high extinction coefficient. This paper presents a numerical and experimental study on the three-dimensional (3D) trapping of gold microparticles using a centrally obstructed Gaussian beam based on the T-matrix method. The range of particle size for stable optical trapping is determined.

Zero-order free holographic optical tweezers.

Holographic optical tweezers (HOTs) use spatial light modulators (SLM) to modulate light beams, thereby enabling the dynamic control of optical trap arrays with complex intensity and phase distributions. This has provided exciting new opportunities for cell sorting, microstructure machining, and studying single molecules. However, the pixelated structure of the SLM will inevitably bring up the unmodulated zero-order diffraction possessing an unacceptably large fraction of the incident light beam power.

Rapid, artifact-reduced, image reconstruction for super-resolution structured illumination microscopy.

Super-resolution structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) is finding increasing application in biomedical research due to its superior ability to visualize subcellular dynamics in living cells. However, during image reconstruction artifacts can be introduced and when coupled with time-consuming postprocessing procedures, limits this technique from becoming a routine imaging tool for biologists. To address these issues, an accelerated, artifact-reduced reconstruction algorithm termed joint space frequency reconstruction-based artifact reduction algorithm (JSFR-AR-SIM) was developed by integrating a high-speed reconstruction framework with a high-fidelity optimization approach designed to suppress the sidelobe artifact.

Multi-color structured illumination microscopy for live cell imaging based on the enhanced image recombination transform algorithm.

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) has attracted considerable interest in super-resolution, live-cell imaging because of its low light dose and high imaging speed. Obtaining a high-quality reconstruction image in SIM depends on the precise determination of the parameters of the fringe illumination pattern. The image recombination transform (IRT) algorithm is superior to other algorithms in obtaining the precise initial phase without any approximation, which is promising to provide a considerable solution to address the difficulty of initial phase estimation at low-modulation-depth conditions.

Quantitative proteomics implicates YggT in streptomycin resistance in Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis.

Objectives: To identify proteins that may be associated with antibiotic resistance in the multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica D14, by constructing proteomic profiles using mass spectrometry-based label-free quantitative proteomics (LFQP).

Results: D14 was cultured with four antibiotics (ampicillin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, and tetracycline) separately. Subsequently, the findings from an equal combination of the four cultures were compared with the profile of sensitive S.

Hybrid multifocal structured illumination microscopy with enhanced lateral resolution and axial localization capability.

Super-resolution (SR) fluorescence microscopy that breaks through the diffraction barrier has drawn great interest in biomedical research. However, obtaining a high precision three-dimensional distribution of the specimen in a short time still remains a challenging task for existing techniques. In this paper, we propose a super-resolution fluorescence microscopy with axial localization capability by combining multifocal structured illumination microscopy with a hybrid detection PSF composed of a Gaussian PSF and a double-helix PSF.

Rapid tilted-plane Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm for holographic optical tweezers.

Benefitting from the development of commercial spatial light modulator (SLM), holographic optical tweezers (HOT) have emerged as a powerful tool for life science, material science and particle physics. The calculation of computer-generated holograms (CGH) for generating multi-focus arrays plays a key role in HOT for trapping of a bunch of particles in parallel. To realize dynamic 3D manipulation, we propose a new tilted-plane GS algorithm for fast generation of multiple foci.

Simultaneous optical trapping and imaging in the axial plane: a review of current progress.

Optical trapping has become a powerful tool in numerous fields such as biology, physics, chemistry, etc. In conventional optical trapping systems, trapping and imaging share the same objective lens, confining the region of observation to the focal plane. For the capture of optical trapping processes occurring in other planes, especially the axial plane (the one containing the z-axis), many methods have been proposed to achieve this goal.

Direct observation and characterization of optical guiding of microparticles by tightly focused non-diffracting beams.

Due to the propagation-invariant and self-healing properties, nondiffracting beams are highly attractive in optical trapping. However, little attention has been paid to investigating optical guiding of microparticles in nondiffracting beams generated by high-numerical-aperture (NA) optics with direct visualization. In this letter, we report a technique for direct observation and characterization of optical guiding of microparticles in a tight focusing system.

Chemerin-induced angiogenesis and adipogenesis in 3 T3-L1 preadipocytes is mediated by lncRNA Meg3 through regulating Dickkopf-3 by sponging miR-217.

Purpose: Obesity is often caused by the excess adipogenesis and regulated by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs). We performed this study to investigate the influence of Meg3 expression on adipogenesis and also the Meg3/miR-217/Dkk3 axis-mediated molecular mechanism in adipogenesis and angiogenesis.

Methods: 3 T3-L1 preadipocytes were incubated with chemerin and transfected with Meg3-overexpressing (OE-Meg3) and Dkk3-overexpressing (OE-Dkk3) plasmids, siRNAs, and miR-217 mimics, inhibitor and scrambled sequences for 48 h or 72 h.

Multi-view object topography measurement with optical sectioning structured illumination microscopy.

Various optical instruments have been developed for three-dimensional (3D) surface topography, including the white light interference, reflectance confocal microscopes, and digital holographic microscopes, etc. However, the steep local slope of objects may cause the light to be reflected in a way that it will not be captured by the objective lens because of the finite collection angle of the objective. To solve this "shadow problem," we report a method to enlarge the collection angle range of optical sectioning structured illumination microscopy by capturing sectioned images of the objects from multiple angle of views.

FSP1 promotes the biofunctions of adventitial fibroblast through the crosstalk among RAGE, JAK2/STAT3 and Wnt3a/β-catenin signalling pathways.

Emerging evidence indicates that fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP1) provides vital effects in cell biofunctions. However, whether FSP1 influences the adventitial fibroblast (AF) and vascular remodelling remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the potential role and action mechanism of FSP1-mediated AF bioactivity.

Real-time optical manipulation of particles through turbid media.

Complex diffusive scattering media pose significant challenges for light focusing as well as optical imaging to be implemented in practice. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the wavefront shaping technique can be applied to realize focusing and imaging through scattering medium. Here we report dynamic optical manipulation of particles through turbid media by employing the interleaved segment wavefront correction method, which is an improved genetic algorithm providing faster convergence speed and higher peak to background ratio.

Generation of a double-ring perfect optical vortex by the Fourier transform of azimuthally polarized Bessel beams.

The perfect optical vortex (POV), the ring size being independent of its topological charge, has found potential applications in optical tweezers and optical communications. In this Letter, we report a new kind of POV, termed as double-ring POV (DR-POV), whose diameters of the two rings are independent of topological charge. We theoretically demonstrate that such a vortex is the Fourier transform of an azimuthally polarized Bessel beam.

Interleaved segment correction achieves higher improvement factors in using genetic algorithm to optimize light focusing through scattering media.

Focusing and imaging through scattering media has been proved possible with high resolution wavefront shaping. A completely scrambled scattering field can be corrected by applying a correction phase mask on a phase only spatial light modulator (SLM) and thereby the focusing quality can be improved. The correction phase is often found by global searching algorithms, among which Genetic Algorithm (GA) stands out for its parallel optimization process and high performance in noisy environment.

Aberration correction in holographic optical tweezers using a high-order optical vortex: publisher's note.

This publisher's note identifies an error in the author affiliations of Appl. Opt.57, 3618 (2018)APOPAI0003-693510.

Aberration correction in holographic optical tweezers using a high-order optical vortex.

Holographic optical tweezers are a powerful optical trapping and manipulation tool in numerous applications such as life science and colloidal physics. However, imperfections in the spatial light modulator and optical components of the system will introduce detrimental aberrations to the system, thereby degrading the trapping performance significantly. To address this issue, we develop an aberration correction technique by using a high-order vortex as the correction metric.

Rotating of low-refractive-index microparticles with a quasi-perfect optical vortex.

Low-refractive-index microparticles, such as hollow microspheres, have shown great significance in some applications, such as biomedical sensing and targeted drug delivery. However, optical trapping and manipulation of low-refractive-index microparticles are challenging, owing to the repelling force exerted by typical optical traps. In this paper, we demonstrated optical trapping and rotating of large-sized low-refractive-index microparticles by using quasi-perfect optical vortex (quasi-POV) beams, which were generated by Fourier transform of high-order quasi-Bessel beams.

Single shot, three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy with a spatially rotating point spread function.

A wide-field fluorescence microscope with a double-helix point spread function (PSF) is constructed to obtain the specimen's three-dimensional distribution with a single snapshot. Spiral-phase-based computer-generated holograms (CGHs) are adopted to make the depth-of-field of the microscope adjustable. The impact of system aberrations on the double-helix PSF at high numerical aperture is analyzed to reveal the necessity of the aberration correction.

Three-dimensional characterization of tightly focused fields for various polarization incident beams.

Tightly focused vectorial optical beams have found extensive applications in variety of technical fields like single-molecule detection, optical tweezers, and super-resolution optical microscopy. Such applications require an accurate measurement and manipulation of focal optical fields. We have developed a compact instrument (with dimensions of 35 × 35 × 30 cm) to rapidly measure the intensity distribution in three dimensions of the focused fields of vectorial beams and any other incident beams.

Spinning and orbiting motion of particles in vortex beams with circular or radial polarizations.

Focusing fields of optical vortex (OV) beams with circular or radial polarizations carry both spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM), and can realize non-axial spinning and orbiting motion of absorptive particles. Using the T-matrix method, we evaluate the optical forces and torques exerted on micro-sized particles induced by the OV beams. Numerical results demonstrate that the particle is trapped on the circle of intensity maxima, and experiences a transverse spin torque along azimuthal direction, a longitudinal spin torque, and an orbital torque, respectively.

Optical trapping force and torque on spheroidal Rayleigh particles with arbitrary spatial orientations.

We investigate the spatial orientation dependence of optical trapping forces and intrinsic torques exerted on spheroidal Rayleigh particles under irradiation of highly focused linearly and circularly polarized beams. It is revealed that the maximal trapping forces and torques strongly depend on the orientation of the spheroid, and the spheroidal particle is driven to be stably trapped at the beam focus with its major axis perpendicular to the optical axis. For a linearly polarized trapping beam, the optical torque is always perpendicular to the plane containing the major axis and the polarization direction of the incident beam.

Compact multi-band fluorescent microscope with an electrically tunable lens for autofocusing.

Autofocusing is a routine technique in redressing focus drift that occurs in time-lapse microscopic image acquisition. To date, most automatic microscopes are designed on the distance detection scheme to fulfill the autofocusing operation, which may suffer from the low contrast of the reflected signal due to the refractive index mismatch at the water/glass interface. To achieve high autofocusing speed with minimal motion artifacts, we developed a compact multi-band fluorescent microscope with an electrically tunable lens (ETL) device for autofocusing.