Active-passive calibration of optical tweezers in viscoelastic media

Mario Fischer, Andrew C Richardson, S Nader S Reihani, Lene Oddershede, Kirstine Berg-Sørensen

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Abstract

In order to use optical tweezers as a force measuring tool inside a viscoelastic medium such as the cytoplasm of a living cell, it is crucial to perform an exact force calibration within the complex medium. This is a nontrivial task, as many of the physical characteristics of the medium and probe, e.g., viscosity, elasticity, shape, and density, are often unknown. Here, we suggest how to calibrate single beam optical tweezers in a complex viscoelastic environment. At the same time, we determine viscoelastic characteristics such as friction retardation spectrum and elastic moduli of the medium. We apply and test a method suggested [ M. Fischer and K. Berg-Sørensen, J. Opt. A, Pure Appl. Opt. 9, S239 (2007) ], a method which combines passive and active measurements. The method is demonstrated in a simple viscous medium, water, and in a solution of entangled F-actin without cross-linkers.
Original languageEnglish
JournalReview of Scientific Instruments
Volume81
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)15103
ISSN0034-6748
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Bibliographical note

Copyright (2010) American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.

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