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Lang and coworkers first had to find the right frequency at which
they could operate their trapping laser. They
conducted various experiments where they placed a bead in the
optical trap. They measured the bead's displacement from the center
of the trap as a function of time at various laser frequencies.
- Fluorophore Longevity
The next step in their project was to determine the effects that
their trapping laser would have on the dye Cy3. Preliminary
experiments tested various other dyes by first exposing them to
fluorescence excitation lasers and then to a trapping laser. The
common observation was that the dye in question would decay
gradually under exposure to the excitation laser and then would
decay very rapidly (photobleach) when it was exposed to the trapping
- Combined Measurement
The final step was to show that one can actually make a
fluorescence and optical trap force measurement simultaneously.
Graphical Timeline © SIMILE