Multidimensional luminescence microscope for imaging defect colour centres in diamond.

We report a multidimensional luminescence microscope providing hyperspectral imaging and time-resolved (luminescence lifetime) imaging for the study of luminescent diamond defects. The instrument includes crossed-polariser white light transmission microscopy to reveal any birefringence that would indicate strain in the diamond lattice. We demonstrate the application of this new instrument to detect defects in natural and synthetic diamonds including N3, nitrogen and silicon vacancies.

Detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms using a DNA Holliday junction nanoswitch--a high-throughput fluorescence lifetime assay.

We report a simple DNA sensor device, using a combination of binding and conformational switching, capable of rapid detection of specific single nucleotide polymorphisms in an unlabelled nucleic acid target sequence. The detection is demonstrated using fluorescence lifetime measurements in a high-throughput micro plate reader instrument based on the time-correlated single-photon counting technique. The sensor design and instrumental architecture are capable of detecting perturbations in the molecular structure of the probe-target complex (which is similar to that of a Holliday junction), due to a single base pair mismatch in a synthetic target.

Effect of pH on aqueous phenylalanine studied using a 265-nm pulsed light-emitting diode.

Recently, we described the characteristics and application of a 265-nm AlGaN light-emitting diode (LED) operated at 1-MHz repetition rate, 1.2-ns pulse duration, 1.32-microW average power, 2.

Single molecule level detection of allophycocyanin by surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering.

Single molecule level detection of the near-infrared fluorescent protein allophycocyanin (APC) has been achieved using surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS). The detection limit using the peak height of the 440 cm(-1) band was 1 x 10(-13) mol l(-1), compared to 2 x 10(-12) mol l(-1) for the fluorescence peak at 660 nm.