MRI: Development of Confocal with Holographic Optical Manipulation in Parallel

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This award to the University of Chicago is for the development of a unique instrument that will enable simultaneous three-dimensional imaging and optical manipulation of soft material samples and biological cells. The instrument will combine hybrid Holographic/scanning optical tweezers with an advanced confocal microscope endowed with spectral, thermal, and magnetic control. The integration will be enabled by a novel approach that combines optical design with 3D printing of instrument parts. The new instrument will make possible research at the interface of condensed-matter physics, physical chemistry, and biophysics. Moreover, it will enable new types of investigations in cell biology. The development of this instrument will have a direct impact on research on the University of Chicago campus, providing previously unavailable capability. Crucially it will have an impact well beyond the local area. A significant effort will be dedicated to the integration of optics with three-dimensionally printed support structures that will hold the holographic optical tweezing unit in position on the microscope. The design will be made available online, enabling the immediate transfer of large portions of the finished instrument via download and printing (in 3D), thus significantly lowering the barrier for reproduction of this instrument at other institutions throughout the world. In addition, the lessons learned in the technological development of this instrument will be applied, through a combination of high-school and REU outreach, to the design, printing and assembly of both a lower-cost alternative for research and a very low-cost printable microscope kit aimed at bringing advanced science into classrooms.