Seminar by Prof. Basudev Roy, IIT Madras
Event Date: 
Tuesday, 24 January 2023 - 5:00pm

Title: Study of some soft matter and biological systems using rotational optical tweezers.

Speaker: Prof. Basudev Roy, IIT Madras

Abstract: A rigid body can have 6 degrees of freedom, namely the three translational degrees of freedom and the three rotational degrees of freedom. Of these, the translational degrees have been well explored in optical tweezers community. However, only the in-plane rotational degree of freedom has been explored. We call this in-plane degree of rotational freedom, the yaw motion in the nomenclature of the airlines. The pitch and roll degrees are only beginning to be explored recently.

In this talk, I will show you 4 ways of generating pitch rotation using the optical tweezers. I will also show you one way of detection of pitch rotation at high resolution using birefringent particles. Further, I will discuss some applications of this pitch rotation in soft matter systems and biology. I will also show you a way of generating roll rotation using optical tweezers in hexagonal shaped particles.

Venue: 
Seminar Room (202), Physics Department
IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai