Identification of biotic and abiotic particles by using a combination of optical tweezers and in situ Raman spectroscopy.

A highly versatile setup, which introduces an optical gradient trap into a Raman spectrometer, is presented. The particular configuration, which consists of two lasers, makes trapping independent from the Raman excitation laser and allows a separate adjustment of the trapping and excitation wavelengths. Thus, the excitation wavelength can be chosen according to the needs of the application. We describe the successful application of an optical gradient trap on transparent as well as on reflective, metal-coated microparticles. Raman spectra were recorded from optically trapped polystyrene beads and from single biological cells (e.g., erythrocytes, yeast cells). Also, metal-coated microparticles were trapped and used as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for tests on yeast cells. Furthermore, the optical gradient trap was combined with a SERS fiber probe. Raman spectra were recorded from trapped red blood cells using the SERS fiber probe for excitation.

Determination of size changes of optically trapped gas bubbles by elastic light backscattering.

A technique for the determination of size changes of gas bubbles by means of Fabry-Perot resonances in elastic light backscattering and optical trapping is presented. A theoretical description of the interaction of a strongly focused laser beam with gas bubbles is also given. The differences in elastic light scattering for particles with a relative refractive index larger than one and for gas bubbles with a relative refractive index smaller than one are discussed in detail. The results of elastic light scattering experiments verify the theoretical considerations.

Applications of the optical trapping technique to analyze chemical reactions in single emulsion particles.

The applicability of the single beam gradient force optical trap and the optical levitation technique to investigate dynamic processes in microparticles is examined. The device allows to follow chemical reactions, like the emulsion polymerization and the ester hydrolysis reaction, in single emulsion droplets. Furthermore the usability of optical traps to investigate living cells is demonstrated.

Chemical composition and reaction analysis of single aerosol particles.

In situ measurements of gas-liquid surface reactions of single aerosol microdroplets are presented. By means of optical levitation in combination with elastic (Mie) and inelastic (Raman) light scattering it is possible to get information on the chemistry of e.g. acid/base reactions as well as the physical behavior of single microparticles.

Observation of sudden temperature jumps in optically levitated microdroplets due to morphology-dependent input resonances.

During the slow evaporation of an optically levitated microdroplet of a glycerol-water mixture (3:1) (approximately 12.44 µm in radius) several morphology-dependent input resonances have been observed in its Raman spectrum. These resonances yield sudden temperature jumps of approximately 10 °C in the microdroplet as evidenced by sudden shifts in the output (Raman) resonance spectra. The latter effects could be explained by a simple energy balance calculation and the dependence of droplet refractive index and density on temperature.