NSF Award
0649889
This award is for the development of a microscope for visualizing macromolecular conformational changes in real-time, using advances in photonic and nanoplasmonic technology. The microscope is based on Surface Plasmon Coupled Emission (SPCE), in which laser input energy couples to electron oscillations in metal thin films (plasmons) and subsequently to molecular excitation and emission (fluorescence). The microscope will take advantage of a series of contiguous resonance processes of surface plasmons occurring at the interface of a dielectric nanolayer and a thin metallic film, forming in essence a nanoscale Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometer. Such a microscope will be extremely sensitive to the very small changes on the external dielectric surface in immediate contact with the resonator, providing high sensitivity for identification of molecular species and conformational information. This microscope will be capable of directly monitoring the conformational changes and molecular dynamics of large biomolecular complexes.<br/><br/>This instrument development program will bring together an experienced team of researchers in diverse fields, including: experimental and theoretical physics, materials science and biology. The project will train both undergraduate and graduate students. Students will be involved in the preparation of thin film materials, biological samples, optical measurements and calculations, and optimization of the microscope configurations for specific applications. If successful, this microscope will contribute to understanding the conformational dynamics of biomolecules and how this relates to their biological functions.
