Optical trapping and manipulation of micro-particles

A brief overview of optical trapping and manipulation of micro-particles is presented, followed by a discussion of several experimental techniques for the measurement of optical forces under a variety of optical configurations including the axial force in a Gaussian beam, the axial and the transverse forces in optical levitation, the transverse gradient force in a Gaussian beam and in optical fringes, and the force-constant associated with the transverse gradient force in a Gaussian beam. Preliminary experimental results for each case are presented, and a few potential applications of optical trapping are briefly discussed.