Quantification of droplet deformation by electromagnetic trapping

A tightly focused laser beam exerting a trapping force on an object also exerts deformation forces on the object. If the object is relatively easy to deform, as is, e.g., a low surface tension droplet, the resulting deformation is easily detectable even at moderate laser powers. The observed deformation is analytically explained by a model, which quantitatively predicts the deformation of any micron-sized drop where the only restoring force is the surface tension. Theoretical tools are also provided to include the effect of elasticity of the shell and bulk of the trapped object, this being particularly important for deformations of cells. This deformation effect of electromagnetic radiation is important to consider while trapping soft materials and it can be used to determine physical characteristics of soft materials.