Time-Resolved Imaging of High Mass Proteins and Metastable Fragments Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization, Axial Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, and TPX3CAM.

The Timepix (TPX) is a position- and time-sensitive pixelated charge detector that can be coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF MS) in combination with microchannel plates (MCPs) for the spatially and temporally resolved detection of biomolecules. Earlier generation TPX detectors used in previous studies were limited by a moderate time resolution (at best 10 ns) and single-stop detection for each pixel that hampered the detection of ions with high mass-to-charge (/) values at high pixel occupancies. In this study, we have coupled an MCP-phosphor screen-TPX3CAM detection assembly that contains a silicon-coated TPX3 chip to a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-axial TOF MS.

Advances in automatic identification of flying insects using optical sensors and machine learning.

Worldwide, farmers use insecticides to prevent crop damage caused by insect pests, while they also rely on insect pollinators to enhance crop yield and other insect as natural enemies of pests. In order to target pesticides to pests only, farmers must know exactly where and when pests and beneficial insects are present in the field. A promising solution to this problem could be optical sensors combined with machine learning.

Multiband modulation spectroscopy for the determination of sex and species of mosquitoes in flight.

We present a dual-wavelength polarimetric measurement method to distinguish species and sexes of disease transmitting mosquitoes in flight. By measuring co- and de-polarized backscattered light at 808 and 1550 nm, the degree of linear polarization, wingbeat frequency, reflectance, spectral ratio and glossiness of mosquitoes can be retrieved. Body and wing contributions to these signals can be separated.

Controlling Protein Surface Orientation by Strategic Placement of Oligo-Histidine Tags.

We report oriented immobilization of proteins using the standard hexahistidine (His)-Ni:NTA (nitrilotriacetic acid) methodology, which we systematically tuned to give control of surface coverage. Fluorescence microscopy and surface plasmon resonance measurements of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of red fluorescent proteins (TagRFP) showed that binding strength increased by 1 order of magnitude for each additional His-tag on the TagRFP proteins. All TagRFP variants with His-tags located on only one side of the barrel-shaped protein yielded a 1.

Optical antennas with sinusoidal modulation in width.

Small metal structures sustaining plasmon resonances in the optical regime are of great interest due to their large scattering cross sections and ability to concentrate light to subwavelength volumes. In this paper, we study the dipolar plasmon resonances of optical antennas with a constant volume and a sinusoidal modulation in width. We experimentally show that by changing the phase of the width-modulation, with a small 10 nm modulation amplitude, the resonance shifts over 160 nm.

A phased antenna array for surface plasmons.

Surface plasmon polaritons are electromagnetic waves that propagate tightly bound to metal surfaces. The concentration of the electromagnetic field at the surface as well as the short wavelength of surface plasmons enable sensitive detection methods and miniaturization of optics. We present an optical frequency plasmonic analog to the phased antenna array as it is well known in radar technology and radio astronomy.

Microcantilever based distance control between a probe and a surface.

We demonstrate a method to control the distance between a custom probe and a sample on a μm to nm scale. The method relies on the closed-loop feedback on the angular deflection of an in-contact AFM microcantilever. High performance in stability and accuracy is achieved in this method by taking advantage of the small mechanical feedback path between surface and probe.

Electrically connected resonant optical antennas.

Electrically connected resonant optical antennas hold promise for the realization of highly efficient nanoscale electro-plasmonic devices that rely on a combination of electric fields and local near-field intensity enhancement. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of such a concept by attaching leads to the arms of a two-wire antenna at positions of minimal near-field intensity with negligible influence on the antenna resonance. White-light scattering experiments in accordance with simulations show that the optical tunability of connected antennas is fully retained.

Local investigation of the optical properties of subwavelength rectangular holes with a focused beam of electrons.

The optical properties of rectangular subwavelength holes in a gold film are investigated using the light generated when a focused beam of electrons impinges on the sample close to the hole. Using this technique, multi-spectral maps of the holes are obtained with a resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit. The results show the influence of hole shape on the spectrum of locally scattered light.

Atomically flat single-crystalline gold nanostructures for plasmonic nanocircuitry.

Deep subwavelength integration of high-definition plasmonic nanostructures is of key importance in the development of future optical nanocircuitry for high-speed communication, quantum computation and lab-on-a-chip applications. To date, the experimental realization of proposed extended plasmonic networks consisting of multiple functional elements remains challenging, mainly because of the multi-crystallinity of commonly used thermally evaporated gold layers. This can produce structural imperfections in individual circuit elements that drastically reduce the yield of functional integrated nanocircuits.

Magnetic light-matter interactions in a photonic crystal nanocavity.

We study the magnetic coupling between a metal-coated near-field probe and a photonic crystal nanocavity. The resonance of the nanocavity shifts to shorter wavelengths when the ringlike apex of the probe is above an antinode of the magnetic field of the cavity. We show that this can be attributed to a magnetic light-matter interaction and is in fact a manifestation of Lenz's law at optical frequencies.

Strong modification of the nonlinear optical response of metallic subwavelength hole arrays.

The influence of hole shape on the nonlinear optical properties of metallic subwavelength hole arrays is investigated. It is found that the amount of second harmonics generated can be enhanced by changing the hole shape. In part this increase is a direct result of the effect of hole shape on the linear transmission properties.