Chapter 4 Introduction - THORLABS OTKB/M User Manual

Modular Optical Tweezers Chapter 4: Introduction
Chapter 4 Introduction
In 2007, three researchers in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT – Steve Wasserman, David
Appleyard, and Matthew Lang – built an optical trapping setup for use in teaching labs. Their results were published
in the American Journal of Physics [S. Wasserman, D. Appleyard, and M. Lang, Optical Trapping for
Undergraduates, Am. J. Phys. 75, (2007)]. Based on their design, Thorlabs has collaborated with the
aforementioned authors to design a modular tweezers system that includes all necessary components and provides
the same capabilities. Moreover, since Thorlabs' components are designed to be compatible with each other, the
OTKB modular tweezers system is easily modified to provide additional functionalities as your research needs
evolve. For example, an excitation light source can be added by incorporating a beam splitting cube into the beam
path allowing e.g. fluorescence measurements. The simple and modular nature of the system allows you to adapt
it for a wide variety of applications. Additional modules can be added any time, such as the OTKB-FL fluorescence
module.
Rev N, August 17, 2018 Page 5