How fast can I move a trap?
With real-time trapping, one can use the mouse to move traps manually at arbitrary speeds. The 'path' tool allows one to draw a path for the traps to follow and to set the speed at which they will move. When using the default 60x objective lens, the speed can range from 0.25-15 microns/sec. Faster rates of movement are achievable with different objective lenses and software settings. Note that the speed at which a trapped particle can be moved will depend on the properties of the object and its fluid environment, as well as the speed at which the trap itself can move.

How accurately can I position a trap?
Using the HOTgui software and default 60x objective lens, for 532nm light, the XY position of a trap can be specified with an accuracy of 0.2 microns (corresponding to one camera pixel). The Z position can be set up to 25 microns above or below the imaging plane, with an accuracy of 0.1 microns. Using the optional HOT Application Programmers Interface (HOT API) or LabRyx, the traps can be located with 15nm precision in the XY plane. using different objectives or wavelengths (IR vs Green) will change the resolution and Z range.

Why can't I make more than 200 traps?
This is a software limitation to account for the fact that the input laser power is distributed among all the traps, and not many things can be trapped efficiently with less than 1/200th of the maximum power.

What lasers can I choose from?
The user can choose between two systems: IR (1064nm, 2W) or Green (532nm, 2W), which are fiber-coupled and controlled through software. The continuous wave laser systems we use provide stable, single-mode, polarized beam outputs necessary for creating high-quality traps.

What type of microscope do you use?
The BioRyx 200 is built on a Nikon Eclipse TE2000U inverted microscope. Currently our holographic optical trapping optical assembly (HOT Box) is adapted only to the Nikon platform.

What imaging modes are available?
The BioRyx 200 supports standard Nikon brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast, fluorescence, polarized light and reflected light modes. Additionally, we provide a custom adapter for Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) imaging.

How do I know if my sample can be manipulated with optical traps?
As a general rule, any transparent particle whose refractive index is higher than that of its surrounding fluid can be captured with an optical trap. Examples include cells, vesicles, polymer and silica beads, and oil droplets. See the Science of Optical trapping for more details. If you are uncertain, ask us. Arryx scientists have extensive experience in designing and using optical traps on a wide variety of systems.

Do you do custom orders?
YES! Among the projects we have worked on are a fluorescence lifetime experiment for one customer and custom sample holders. We recognize that successful science often requires the integration of several components and are willing to work with our customers to produce a system that fits your needs.