MRI/RUI Proposal for Acquisition of Laser and Microscope for Optical Trapping and Manipulation of Large Numbers of Particles

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This Major Research Instrumentation RUI grant supports acquisition of a 5-watt, 532 nm, CW laser and research-grade microscope so that the research on new particle trapping methods and on the interactions between particles in optically-bound structures can advance. Holographic techniques significantly extend the capabilities of laser tweezing, making possible optical manipulation of matter into complex two- or three-dimensional patterns and shapes containing large numbers of particles. This will also provide essential, on-campus research opportunities and will result in greater undergraduate research involvement. This instrumentation makes possible new course modules geared toward research training that will be shared with the larger community. Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) students have helped to develop two techniques for non-lithographic means of assembly. The new instrumentation is essential to allow this research team to continue to develop further techniques. Moreover, this instrumentation offers novel opportunities for initiative in the undergraduate curriculum, affecting biology and physics majors, as well as pre-engineering students. %%%Organizing micro-and nano-components into larger structures or assemblies is crucial to many activities and disciplines. The technologies which the IWU research team has demonstrated have the potential to impact research in biology and bio-engineering, the field of micro-electro-mechanical devices, and many other fields where progress has been restricted by the need to configure non-lithographic structures at the microscopic level. The most noticeable impact may come in the field of Photonics: fiber-optic communication networks may benefit from the ability to engineer "photonic-bandgap" devices, which could play the same role in optics that semiconductors have played in the electronics industry. ***