Development of a heating stage for an optical trapping microscope

The Lang Laboratory specializes in the study of biological systems through research using optical tweezers. Currently, experiments involving force and position manipulations of cellular molecules take place at room temperature. Experiments with these molecules have the potential to yield more information about biological systems were these experiments performed at the temperature at which the molecules naturally operate. Since the microscopes in the laboratory are geared with sensitive lasers, mirrors, and detectors that make up the optical traps, a custom designed microscope stage heater is necessary to execute research at body temperature (37°C). A custom temperature controller, equipped with controller unit and slide heating aluminum plates, is built to warm the slide sample to and maintain it at 37°C without interfering with the operation of the specified microscope.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Wang, Lynn (Lynn H.)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Matthew J. Lang.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36687

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/36687