An illustration of a nanophotonic standing wave array trap (nSWAT) for parallel manipulation and measurements of single molecules. Here, an array of DNA molecules with a bead attached at each end is precisely manipulated between two nSWATs. The position of each nSWAT is independently controlled to relocate and transport the array of trapped beads. Robert Forties Optical trapping, a technique for studying single molecules, is traditionally delicate, requiring special equipment and a soundproof room, with data collected one molecule at a time. Cornell physicists have shrunk the technology of an optical trap, which uses light to suspend and manipulate molecules like DNA and proteins, onto a single chip. And instead of just one molecule at a time, the new device can potentially trap hundreds of molecules at once, reducing month-long experiments to days. “We love single-molecule experiments because the data are beautiful and clear, and we learn so much by manipulating and perturbing molecules and watching how things change,” said Michelle Wang, professor of physics, who led the study published online in Nature Nanotechnology April 28. But the experimental technique itself could use some improvement, which motivated Wang, who studies DNA and its associated motor proteins, to contemplate solutions.
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