Controlling waves in space and time for imaging and focusing in complex media

In complex media such as white paint and biological tissue, light encounters nanoscale refractive-index inhomogeneities that cause multiple scattering. Such scattering is usually seen as an impediment to focusing and imaging. However, scientists have recently used strongly scattering materials to focus, shape and compress waves by controlling the many degrees of freedom in the incident waves. This was first demonstrated in the acoustic and microwave domains using time reversal, and is now being performed in the optical realm using spatial light modulators to address the many thousands of spatial degrees of freedom of light. This approach is being used to investigate phenomena such as optical super-resolution and the time reversal of light, thus opening many new avenues for imaging and focusing in turbid medi

Enhanced Delivery of Synthetic Labelled Ubiquitin into Live Cells by Using Next‐Generation Ub–TAT Conjugates

Chemical Immunolog

Enhanced Delivery of Synthetic Labelled Ubiquitin into Live Cells by Using Next-Generation Ub-TAT Conjugates

Chemical Immunolog

Focusing and scanning microscopy with propagating surface plasmons

Here we demonstrate a novel surface plasmon polariton (SPP) microscope which is capable of imaging below the optical diffraction limit. A plasmonic lens, generated through phase-structured illumination, focuses SPPs down to their diffraction limit and scans the focus with steps as small as 10 nm. This plasmonic lens is implemented on a metallic nanostructure consisting of alternating hole array gratings and bare metal arenas. We use subwavelength scattering holes placed within the bare metal arenas to determine the resolution of our microscope. The resolution depends on the size of the scanning SPP focus. This novel technique has the potential for biomedical imaging microscopy, surface biology, and functionalization chemistr

Optical Control of Plasmonic Bloch Modes on Periodic Nanostructures

We study and actively control the coherent properties of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) optically excited on a nanohole array. Amplitude and phase of the optical excitation are externally controlled via a digital spatial light modulator (SLM) and SPP interference fringe patterns are designed and observed with high contrast. Our interferometric observations reveal SPPs dressed with the Bloch modes of the periodic nanostructure. The momentum associated with these dressed plasmons (DP) is highly dependent on the grating period and fully matches our theoretical predictions. We show that the momentum of DP waves can, in principle, exceed the SPP momentum. Actively controlling DP waves via programmable phase patterns offers the potential for high field confinement applicable in lithography, surface enhanced Raman scattering, and plasmonic structured illumination microscopy

Separating Thermodynamics from Kinetics: A New Understanding of the Transketolase Reaction

Transketolase catalyzes asymmetric C−C bond formation of two highly polar compounds. Over the last 30 years, the reaction has unanimously been described in literature as irreversible because of the concomitant release of CO2 if using lithium hydroxypyruvate (LiHPA) as a substrate. Following the reaction over a longer period of time however, we have now found it to be initially kinetically controlled. Contrary to previous suggestions, for the non-natural conversion of synthetically more interesting apolar substrates, the complete change of active-site polarity is therefore not necessary. From docking studies it was revealed that water and hydrogen-bond networks are essential for substrate binding, thus allowing aliphatic aldehydes to be converted in the charged active site of transketolase.BT/Biocatalysi

USP7: combining tools towards selectivity

Chemical Immunolog