Precision steering of an optical trap by electro-optic deflection

We designed, constructed, and tested a single-beam optical trapping instrument employing twin electro-optic deflectors (EODs) to steer the trap in the specimen plane. Compared with traditional instruments based on acousto-optic deflectors (AODs), EOD-based traps offer a significant improvement in light throughput and a reduction in deflection-angle (pointing) errors. These attributes impart improved force and position resolution, making EOD-based traps a promising alternative for high-precision nanomechanical measurements of biomaterials. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.