Multi-mode fiber enabled multi-wavelength optical trapping and dynamic manipulation
Abstract
Optical fiber tweezers offer distinct advantages for long-distance manipulation, compact integration, and minimally invasive operation in biological environments. However, most optical fiber tweezers rely on single-mode fibers (SMFs), which are constrained by limited optical mode diversity and reduced control flexibility. Although multi-mode fibers (MMFs) support a wider spectrum of propagation modes, their inherent mixed guided modes with low coherence become a long-standing limitation for the design of focused trapping configurations. To address these limitations, we propose and experimentally validate a fully MMF-based optical tweezer system integrated with a micro-lens structure fabricated on the fiber facet, enabling stable optical trapping across multiple wavelengths and dynamic manipulation of trapped cells. Employing 532 nm continuous-wave and 800 nm femtosecond lasers, we demonstrate that both light sources can generate tightly focused optical spots through the micro-lens with a high numerical aperture (NA>0.7), achieving robust trapping and axial dynamic manipulation of cells. Compared with conventional SMF-based tweezers, this approach leverages the broadband and multi-mode properties of MMFs, allows for wavelength-flexible and dynamically adjustable trapping of cells, and paves the way for lab-on-fiber biophotonic platforms with potential applications such as interventional manipulation, cell sorting, and cellular fluorescence analysis.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2607.27715,
title = {Multi-mode fiber enabled multi-wavelength optical trapping and dynamic manipulation},
author = {Yikun Shen and Chuangye Zhang and Yuquan Zhang and Jiahui Pan and Siwei Chen and Hongyang Xu and Yixuan Chen and Qi Jin and Xiaocong Yuan and Changjun Min},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.27715},
year = {2026}
}