High-resolution dual-trap optical tweezers with differential detection: instrument design
- PMID: 20147038
- DOI: 10.1101/pdb.ip73
High-resolution dual-trap optical tweezers with differential detection: instrument design
Abstract
Optical traps or "optical tweezers" have become an indispensable tool in understanding fundamental biological processes. In this article, we present the design of a high-resolution optical tweezers, which is designed to minimize sensitivity to environmental noise. When the tether is attached to a stage, resolution is typically limited by drift and fluctuations in the relative position of the stage and trap-forming objective, cued by environmental noise. In a dual-trap design, however, the biological system is decoupled entirely from the stage by utilizing two optical traps to hold both ends of the tether. By holding each end of the molecule in an identical fashion, such dual-trap optical tweezers are less sensitive to drift and fluctuations of mechanical components. In our instrument, we form two traps from two orthogonally polarized beams generated by a single laser. As a result, many optical components and much of the optical path traveled are common to both trapping beams, thus minimizing differential movements of one optical trap relative to the other. Additionally, this economical use of optics creates an instrument that is simple and compact, reducing the number of elements susceptible to environmental fluctuations.
Similar articles
-
High-resolution dual-trap optical tweezers with differential detection: data collection and instrument calibration.Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2009 Oct;2009(10):pdb.ip74. doi: 10.1101/pdb.ip74. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2009. PMID: 20147039
-
High-resolution dual-trap optical tweezers with differential detection: alignment of instrument components.Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2009 Oct;2009(10):pdb.ip76. doi: 10.1101/pdb.ip76. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2009. PMID: 20147041
-
High-resolution dual-trap optical tweezers with differential detection: minimizing the influence of measurement noise.Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2009 Oct;2009(10):pdb.ip75. doi: 10.1101/pdb.ip75. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2009. PMID: 20147040
-
The study of cells by optical trapping and manipulation of living cells using infrared laser beams.ASGSB Bull. 1991 Jul;4(2):133-46. ASGSB Bull. 1991. PMID: 11537176 Review.
-
Introduction to optical tweezers: background, system designs, and commercial solutions.Methods Mol Biol. 2011;783:1-20. doi: 10.1007/978-1-61779-282-3_1. Methods Mol Biol. 2011. PMID: 21909880 Review.
Cited by
-
Single-molecule mechanics of protein-labelled DNA handles.Beilstein J Nanotechnol. 2016 Jan 29;7:138-148. doi: 10.3762/bjnano.7.16. eCollection 2016. Beilstein J Nanotechnol. 2016. PMID: 26925362 Free PMC article.
-
Using a system's equilibrium behavior to reduce its energy dissipation in nonequilibrium processes.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Mar 26;116(13):5920-5924. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1817778116. Epub 2019 Mar 13. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019. PMID: 30867295 Free PMC article.
-
Membrane mechanics govern spatiotemporal heterogeneity of endocytic clathrin coat dynamics.Mol Biol Cell. 2017 Nov 15;28(24):3480-3488. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E17-05-0282. Epub 2017 Sep 13. Mol Biol Cell. 2017. PMID: 28904210 Free PMC article.
-
Residence time analysis of RNA polymerase transcription dynamics: A Bayesian sticky HMM approach.Biophys J. 2021 May 4;120(9):1665-1679. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.02.045. Epub 2021 Mar 9. Biophys J. 2021. PMID: 33705761 Free PMC article.
-
Translation and folding of single proteins in real time.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 May 30;114(22):E4399-E4407. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1617873114. Epub 2017 May 15. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017. PMID: 28507157 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Research Materials
