Reuven Gordon plenary: Nano-Bio-Optomechanics: Nanoaperture Tweezers Probe Single Nanoparticles, Proteins, and their Interactions

Utilizing conventional optical tweezers requires very high intensities for the length scale of individual proteins (1 to 50 nm), causing severe damage to the sample. In this Nanoscience/Engineering plenary talk, Reuven Gordon of the University of Victoria (Canada), presents a modified optical tweezer which utilizes nanoholes to trap very small objects with less than 1 mW of light power.

A traditional optical tweezer holds ~100 nm objects at the beam's waist for a period of time so that researchers may observe the sample's properties. Gordon's nanoholes hold 1-50 nm objects in the center of an aperture; while an object is trapped, the transmission through the aperture increases significantly. By increasing the power to 1 mW, Gordon's modified optical tweezers can hold samples basically indefinitely.

Reuven Gordon is the Canada Research Chair in Nanoplasmonics and a Professor in ECE, University of Victoria. His recent distinctions include the Craigdarroch Silver Medal, an AGAUR Visiting Professorship, and an Accelerate BC Industry Impact Award.