Since their invention in 1986 by Arthur Ashkin and colleagues, optical tweezers have become an essential tool in several fields of physics, spectroscopy, biology, nanotechnology, and thermodynamics. In this Tutorial, we provide a primer on how to calibrate optical tweezers and how to use them for advanced applications. After a brief general introduction on optical tweezers, we focus on describing and comparing the various available calibration techniques. Then, we discuss some cutting-edge applications of optical tweezers in a liquid medium, namely to study single-molecule and single-cell mechanics, microrheology, colloidal interactions, statistical physics, and transport phenomena. Finally, we consider optical tweezers in vacuum, where the absence of a viscous medium offers vastly different dynamics and presents new challenges. We conclude with some perspectives for the field and the future application of optical tweezers. This Tutorial provides both a step-by-step guide ideal for non-specialists entering the field and a comprehensive manual of advanced techniques useful for expert practitioners. All the examples are complemented by the sample data and software necessary to reproduce them.

中文翻译：

---

光镊：从校准到应用的综合教程

自 1986 年由 Arthur Ashkin 及其同事发明以来，光镊已成为物理学、光谱学、生物学、纳米技术和热力学等多个领域的重要工具。在本教程中，我们提供了有关如何校准光镊以及如何将其用于高级应用的入门指南。在简要介绍光镊之后，我们将重点描述和比较各种可用的校准技术。然后，我们讨论了光镊在液体介质中的一些前沿应用，即研究单分子和单细胞力学、微流变学、胶体相互作用、统计物理和传输现象。最后，我们考虑真空中的光镊，其中没有粘性介质会提供截然不同的动力学并带来新的挑战。我们总结了光镊领域和未来应用的一些观点。本教程既为进入该领域的非专家提供了理想的分步指南，也提供了对专家从业者有用的高级技术综合手册。所有示例都配有示例数据和重现它们所需的软件。