Optical tweezers have become the method of choice in single-molecule manipulation
studies. In this Primer, we first review the physical principles of optical tweezers and the …

The biomolecule is among the most important building blocks of biological systems, and a
full understanding of its function forms the scaffold for describing the mechanisms of higher …

Optical tweezers are tools made of light that enable contactless pushing, trap**, and
manipulation of objects, ranging from atoms to space light sails. Since the pioneering work …

Living cells and tissues experience physical forces and chemical stimuli in the human body.
The process of converting mechanical forces into biochemical activities and gene …

The application of acoustic and optical waves to exert non-contact forces on microscopic
and mesoscopic objects has grown considerably in importance in the past few decades …

Force spectroscopy has become an indispensable tool to unravel the structural and
mechanochemical properties of biomolecules. Here we extend the force spectroscopy …

Recent work has shown that irradiation with light possessing orbital angular momentum
(OAM) and an associated phase singularity, that is an optical vortex, twists a variety of …

Dynamic processes are ubiquitous and essential in living cells. To properly understand
these processes, it is imperative to measure them in a time-dependent way and analyze the …

DNA intercalators are widely used as fluorescent probes to visualize DNA and DNA
transactions in vivo and in vitro. It is well known that they perturb DNA structure and stability …

Anomalous-diffusion, the departure of the spreading dynamics of diffusing particles from the
traditional law of Brownian-motion, is a signature feature of a large number of complex soft …