by Arthur Ashkin, World Scientific. Hardback ISBN 9789810240578 £102 ($187). Paperback ISBN 9789810240585 £58 ($106).
This volume by the pioneer of optical trapping and “optical tweezers” contains selected papers and extensive commentaries on laser trapping and the manipulation of neutral particles using radiation pressure forces. These optical methods have had a revolutionary impact on the fields of atomic and molecular physics, biophysics and many aspects of nanotechnology. With his colleagues, Ashkin first demonstrated optical levitation, the trapping of atoms, and “tweezer” trapping and manipulation of living cells and biological particles. This extensive review should be of interest to researchers and students in atomic physics, molecular physics, biophysics and nanotechnology.
