How can a laser beam trap a dielectric sphere? This program illustrates how an optical tweezer works, and lets the user play with several experimental parameters in order to see how the trap characteristics are affected.

The program is written in Java and uses some classes from the Open Source Physics library.

Information on how to use the program together with some illustrative results and proposed exercises can be found at:

J. Mas, A. Farre, J. Cuadros, I. Juvells, and A. Carnicer, “Understanding Optical Trapping Phenomena: A Simulation for Undergraduates,” IEEE Transactions on Education, vol. 54, Feb. 2011, pp. 133-140.