Acousto-optical deflector for non-mechanical manipulating using optical tweezers

Abstract

Abstract Optical tweezers are widely used in various fields of science and technology, such as biophysics, cytology and solid-state physics. Most of the existing optical tweezers use mirror or mirror-lens systems to manipulate the position of the trap. Such systems require precise alignment and do not allow the trap to be moved quickly from one arbitrary point to another due to the inertia of the mirror and lenses. We discuss acousto-optic scanning characterized by high precision and repetition rate for manipulating micro-objects using optical tweezers. Bragg diffraction of light via ultrasonic waves allows creating robust solid-state devices for precise and fast laser beam deflection. We describe a scheme of the optical tweezers with PC-driven two-dimensional scanning implemented by two sequential acousto-optical cells.