In the last years many new applications of the optical tweezers (OT) technique were proposed, most of them exploring beams with intensity profiles very different from the traditional Gaussian (TEM00) beams and/or the optical properties of new materials that are 'non-usual' for the optical trapping community such as topological insulators, semiconductors and superparamagnetic particles. Most of these applications are based on the principle that the effective characteristics of the optical trapping and manipulation of micro- and nanoparticles can be strongly modulated for specific purposes by exploring the optical properties of the chosen materials and/or the light intensity distribution of the laser profile, such that one can change the effective forces acting on the particles, opening the door new applications, instrumentation and the development of new devices.
This book intends to describe and review the extension of optical trapping and manipulation approaches to new materials beyond the classical dielectric beads usually employed in the field. Exploring the different optical properties of materials such as metals, semiconductors, topological insulators, quantum dots and others can lead to new applications of optical tweezers using these materials as handles to manipulate the systems of interest, allowing the investigation of physical / chemical and biological phenomena that cannot be accessed by other ways.
