Optical force microscopy with silicone rubber waveguides

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Abstract
A simple technique is described for optically imaging the lateral distribution of normal forces exerted onto a flat surface. It is based on the detuning of a silicone rubber planar waveguide by the forces to be investigated. The method is demonstrated by imaging the contact line force of a sessile water droplet on the surface, with a force resolution better than μN. It is shown that the lateral resolution may be much better than the decay length of the waveguide modes used.