Effects of detection-beam focal offset on displacement detection in optical tweezers

A high-resolution displacement detection can be achieved by analyzing the scattered light of the trapping beams from the particle in optical tweezers. In some applications where trapping and displacement detection need to be separated, a detection beam can be introduced for independent displacement detection. However, the detection beam focus possibly deviates from the centre of the particle, which will affect the performance of the displacement detection. In this paper, we detect the radial displacement of the particle by utilizing the forward scattered light of the detection beam from the particle. The effects of the lateral and axial offsets between the detection beam focus and the particle centre on the displacement detection are analyzed by the simulation and experiment. The results show that the lateral offsets will decrease the detection sensitivity and linear range and aggravate the crosstalk between the x-direction signal and y-direction signal of QPD. The axial offsets also affect the detection sensitivity, an optimal axial offset can improve the sensitivity of the displacement detection substantially. In addition, the influence of system parameters, such as particle radius a, numerical aperture of the condenser NAc and numerical aperture of the objective NAo on the optimal axial offset are discussed. A combination of conventional optical tweezers instrument and a detection beam provides a more flexible working point, allowing for the active modulation of the sensitivity and linear range of the displacement detection. This work would be of great interest for improving the accuracy of the displacement and force detection performed by the optical tweezers.Comment: 10 pages,11 figure

Effects of Multi-Growth Periods UAV Images on Classifying Karst Wetland Vegetation Communities Using Object-Based Optimization Stacking Algorithm

Combining machine learning algorithms with multi-temporal remote sensing data for fine classification of wetland vegetation has received wide attention from researchers. However, wetland vegetation has different physiological characteristics and phenological information in different growth periods, so it is worth exploring how to use different growth period characteristics to achieve fine classification of vegetation communities. To resolve these issues, we developed an ensemble learning model by stacking Random Forest (RF), CatBoost, and XGBoost algorithms for karst wetland vegetation community mapping and evaluated its classification performance using three growth periods of UAV images. We constructed six classification scenarios to quantitatively evaluate the effects of combining multi-growth periods UAV images on identifying vegetation communities in the Huixian Karst Wetland of International Importance. Finally, we clarified the influence and contribution of different feature bands on vegetation communities’ classification from local and global perspectives based on the SHAP (Shapley Additive explanations) method. The results indicated that (1) the overall accuracies of the four algorithms ranged from 82.03% to 93.37%, and the classification performance was Stacking > CatBoost > RF > XGBoost in order. (2) The Stacking algorithm significantly improved the classification results of vegetation communities, especially Huakolasa, Reed-Imperate, Linden-Camphora, and Cephalanthus tetrandrus-Paliurus ramosissimus. Stacking had better classification performance and generalization ability than the other three machine learning algorithms. (3) Our study confirmed that the combination of spring, summer, and autumn growth periods of UAV images produced the highest classification accuracy (OA, 93.37%). In three growth periods, summer-based UAVs achieved the highest classification accuracy (OA, 85.94%), followed by spring (OA, 85.32%) and autumn (OA, 84.47%) growth period images. (4) The interpretation of black-box stacking model outputs found that vegetation indexes and texture features provided more significant contributions to classifying karst wetland vegetation communities than the original spectral bands, geometry features, and position features. The vegetation indexes (COM and NGBDI) and texture features (Homogeneity and Standard Deviation) were very sensitive when distinguishing Bermudagrass, Bamboo, and Linden-Camphora. These research findings provide a scientific basis for the protection, restoration, and sustainable development of karst wetlands

Enhancing the performance of the counter-propagating dual-beam optical trap with the asymmetric configuration

The trapping stiffness and width are two important parameters to characterize a counter-propagating dual-beam optical trap. We present two types of asymmetric counter-propagating dual-beam optical trap with the different numerical aperture (NA) and trapping power to eliminate the multi-equilibrium positions when two foci of the optical trap are not coincided. Meanwhile, the asymmetric dual-beam trap with the different NA enhances the axial trapping width and stiffness over five and three times, respectively, higher than the standard dual-beam trap with the higher and same average NA. Besides, it increases the transverse trapping stiffness when two foci are not coincided. The asymmetric dual-beam optical trap will benefit the future applications for the study of precision measurement, basic physics and biomaterials

Optical Pulling Using Chiral Metalens as a Photonic Probe

Optical pulling forces, which can pull objects in the source direction, have emerged as an intensively explored field in recent years. Conventionally, optical pulling forces exerted on objects can be achieved by tailoring the properties of an electromagnetic field, the surrounding environment, or the particles themselves. Recently, the idea of applying conventional lenses or prisms as photonic probes has been proposed to realize an optical pulling force. However, their sizes are far beyond the scope of optical manipulation. Here, we design a chiral metalens as the photonic probe to generate a robust optical pulling force. The induced pulling force exerted on the metalens, characterized by a broadband spectrum over 0.6 μm (from 1.517 to 2.117 μm) bandwidth, reached a maximum value of −83.76 pN/W. Moreover, under the illumination of incident light with different circular polarization states, the longitudinal optical force acting on the metalens showed a circular dichroism response. This means that the longitudinal optical force can be flexibly tuned from a pulling force to a pushing force by controlling the polarization of the incident light. This work could pave the way for a new advanced optical manipulation technique, with potential applications ranging from contactless wafer-scale fabrication to cell assembly and even course control for spacecraft

Giant enhancement of higher-order harmonics of an optical-tweezer phonon laser

Phonon lasers, as mechanical analogues of optical lasers, are unique tools for not only fundamental studies of phononics but also diverse applications such as acoustic imaging and force sensing. Very recently, by levitating a micro-size sphere in an optical tweezer, higher-order mechanical harmonics were observed in the phonon-lasing regime, as the first step towards nonlinear levitated optomechanics [Nat. Phys. 19, 414 (2023)]. However, both the lasing strengths and the quality factors of the observed harmonics are typically very low, thus severely hindering their applications. Here we show that, by applying a simple but powerful electronic control to such a levitated micro-sphere, three orders of magnitude enhancement are achievable in the brightness of the phonon lasers, including both the fundamental mode and all its higher-order harmonics. Also, giant improvements of their linewidth and frequency stability are realized in such an electro-optomechanical system, together with further improved higher-order phonon coherence. These results, as a significant step forward for enhancing and controlling micro-object phonon lasers, can be readily used for a wide range of applications involving nonlinear phonon lasers, such as acoustic frequency comb, ultra-sound sensing, atmospherical monitoring, and even bio-medical diagnosis of levitated micro-size objects