Planar lightsheet optical tweezer pLOT for 2D trapping and imaging of freely-moving live cells.

ABSTRACT: We report the realization of the first planar optical trap and imaging system using a sheet of light that allows interrogation of living specimens in a plane. An orthogonal widefield detection is employed to directly visualize the trapping of the target object (dielectric beads/cells) in a plane. The planar trap is realized on an inverted optical stage with illumination from the bottom. The system uses a combination of a cylindrical lens and a high NA objective lens to generate a tightly focused diffraction-limited sheet of light. For trapping objects in a selective XZ-plane, the sample (beads/cells suspended in a solution) is illuminated by a sheet of light (along the Z-axis with coverslip along XZ), whereas the detection is carried out perpendicular to the coverslip (along the Y-axis). O

SUBMITTER: Baro N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12701047 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature