Eric R. Dufresne and David G. Grier
January 30, 1998
We describe a simple method for creating multiple optical tweezers
from a single laser beam using diffractive optical elements.
As a demonstration of this technique, we have implemented a
square array of optical tweezers - the hexadeca-tweezer.
Not only will diffractively generated optical tweezers facilitate many
new experiments in pure and applied physics, but they also will be
useful for fabricating nanocomposite materials and devices, including
photonic bandgap materials and optical circuit elements.