Izbrane teme sodobne fizike in matematike
Optična pinceta je zelo uporaben pripomoček za merjenje biomolekulskih interakcij, saj omogoča proučevanje posameznih molekul. Njeno delovanje temelji na močno fokusiranem laserskem snopu, s katerim lahko ujamemo in premikamo mikroskopske delce, omogoča pa nam tudi merjenje sil na ujete delce. V prvem delu članka je predstavljen fizikalni princip delovanja optične pincete, dejanska izvedba naprave ter kalibracija optične pasti, v nadaljevanju pa je predstavljena njena uporaba pri meritvah interakcij med biomolekulami.
Optical tweezers are a very useful tool for measuring biomolecular interactions, as they enable the study of individual molecules. Their operation is based on a highly focused laser beam, which can be used to trap and manipulate microscopic particles, as well as measure forces acting on the trapped particles. The first part of the article presents the physical principles of optical tweezers, the actual implementation of the device, and the calibration of the optical trap, while the second part discusses their application in measuring interactions between biomolecules.