Keynote
Optical Tweezers as a Tool to Study Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics

Optical tweezers have become a paradigmatic tool in the struggle to develop a general theory for systems out of thermal equilibrium. Holographic optical tweezers use computer holography to generate multiple beams simultaneously and to reshape Gaussian optical beams to unique structured beams, such as optical vortexes and self-healing beams. Here, I will describe our work in studying non-equilibrium statistical mechanics using holographic optical tweezers.