Counter-propagating patterns in the BioPhotonics Workstation: getting more out of light for trapping and manipulation

The counter-propagating geometry opens an extra degree of freedom for shaping light while subsuming single-sided illumination as a special case (i.e., one beam set turned off). In its conventional operation, our BioPhotonics Workstation (BWS) uses symmetric, co-axial counter-propagating beams for stable three-dimensional manipulation of multiple particles. In this work, we analyze counter-propagating shaped-beam traps that depart from this conventional geometry. We show that projecting shaped beams with separation distances previously considered axially unstable can, in fact, enhance the trap by improving axial and transverse trapping stiffness. We also show interesting results of trapping and micromanipulation experiments that combine optical forces with fluidic forces. These results hint about the rich potential of using patterned counter-propagating beams for optical trapping and manipulation, which still remains to be fully tapped.