| Simulations were run modeling the elastic capsule deformation and optical trapping resultant from incident light from an LED. These simulations are used to investigate the effectiveness of optical tweezers as a high-throughput, non-contact means of analyzing the mechanical properties of cells for diagnosis purposes.;The material properties of the capsules are characterized by the Evans and Skalak or the Neohookean equations, which are used within an FEM scheme to model cellular membrane deformation and the resulting forces. The optical forces applied to the cell membrane are calculated using Dynamic Ray Tracing. The hydrodynamic forces are calculated using the Immersed Boundary Method.;Through varying the diode's translational velocity and the characteristic cell membrane stiffness, the trapping strength of the optical trap was found as a function of the cell stiffness. The cells with greater membrane stiffness were more compliant at higher velocities, and were subject to greater optical forces overall. |
