Tunable elliptical cylinders for rotational mechanical studies of single DNA molecules | Science Advances

The angular optical trap (AOT) is a powerful technique for measuring the DNA topology and rotational mechanics of fundamental biological processes. Realizing the full potential of the AOT requires rapid torsional control of these processes. However, existing AOT quartz cylinders are limited in their ability to meet the high rotation rate requirement while minimizing laser-induced photodamage. In this work, we present a trapping particle design to meet this challenge by creating small metamaterial elliptical cylinders with tunable trapping force and torque properties. The optical torque of these cylinders arises from their shape anisotropy, with their optical properties tuned via multilayered SiO ₂ and Si ₃ N ₄ deposition. We demonstrate that these cylinders can be rotated at about three times the rate of quartz cylinders without slippage while enhancing the torque measurement resolution during DNA torsional elasticity studies. This approach opens opportunities for previously inaccessible rotational studies of DNA processing.