Dynamics of a Growing Cell in an Optical Trap published in Appl. Phys. Lett.

Dynamics of a growing cell in an optical trap

Dynamics of a growing cell in an optical trap
Giovanni Volpe, Gajendra Pratap Singh & Dmitri Petrov
Applied Physics Letters 88(23), 231106 (2006)
DOI: 10.1063/1.2213015

We analyze the forward scattered light from a single optically trapped cellduring its growth. We show that the cell continues adjusting itself to the applied optical force because of the growth processes, and hence it keeps changing its orientation in the trap. We point out the importance of taking this variation into account in the interpretation of spectroscopic data. This method can also be used as a means for cell identification and cell sorting.