1,008 research outputs found
Restricted Quantum Theory of Affine Toda Solitons
We quantise the reduced theory obtained by substituting the soliton solutions
of affine Toda theory into its symplectic form. The semi-classical S-matrix is
found to involve the classical Euler dilogarithm.Comment: 10pp, LaTe
Optical detection of single non-absorbing molecules using the surface plasmon of a gold nanorod
Current optical detection schemes for single molecules require light
absorption, either to produce fluorescence or direct absorption signals. This
severely limits the range of molecules that can be detected, because most
molecules are purely refractive. Metal nanoparticles or dielectric resonators
detect non-absorbing molecules by a resonance shift in response to a local
perturbation of the refractive index, but neither has reached single-protein
sensitivity. The most sensitive plasmon sensors to date detect single molecules
only when the plasmon shift is amplified by a highly polarizable label or by a
localized precipitation reaction on the particle's surface. Without
amplification, the sensitivity only allows for the statistical detection of
single molecules. Here we demonstrate plasmonic detection of single molecules
in realtime, without the need for labeling or amplification. We monitor the
plasmon resonance of a single gold nanorod with a sensitive photothermal assay
and achieve a ~ 700-fold increase in sensitivity compared to state-of-the-art
plasmon sensors. We find that the sensitivity of the sensor is intrinsically
limited due to spectral diffusion of the SPR. We believe this is the first
optical technique that detects single molecules purely by their refractive
index, without any need for photon absorption by the molecule. The small size,
bio-compatibility and straightforward surface chemistry of gold nanorods may
open the way to the selective and local detection of purely refractive proteins
in live cells
Light scattering from disordered overlayers of metallic nanoparticles
We develop a theory for light scattering from a disordered layer of metal
nanoparticles resting on a sample. Averaging over different disorder
realizations is done by a coherent potential approximation. The calculational
scheme takes into account effects of retardation, multipole excitations, and
interactions with the sample. We apply the theory to a system similar to the
one studied experimentally by Stuart and Hall [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 80}, 5663
(1998)] who used a layered Si/SiO/Si sample. The calculated results agree
rather well with the experimental ones. In particular we find conspicuous
maxima in the scattering intensity at long wavelengths (much longer than those
corresponding to plasmon resonances in the particles). We show that these
maxima have their origin in interference phenomena in the layered sample.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figure
Gold nanoisland substrates for SERS characterization of cultured cells.
To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadWe demonstrate a simple approach for fabricating cell-compatible SERS substrates, using repeated gold deposition and thermal annealing. The substrates exhibit SERS enhancement up to six orders of magnitude and high uniformity. We have carried out Raman imaging of fixed mesenchymal stromal cells cultured directly on the substrates. Results of viability assays confirm that the substrates are highly biocompatible and Raman imaging confirms that cell attachment to the substrates is sufficient to realize significant SERS enhancement of cellular components. Using the SERS substrates as an in vitro sensing platform allowed us to identify multiple characteristic molecular fingerprints of the cells, providing a promising avenue towards non-invasive chemical characterization of biological samples.Icelandic Centre for Research
Haskoli Islands
European Research Council (ERC
Z_k String fluxes and monopole confinement in non-Abelian theories
Recently (hep-th/0104171) we considered N=2 super Yang-Mills with a N=2 mass
breakingn term and showed the existence of BPS Z_{k}-string solutions for
arbitrary simple gauge groups which are spontaneously broken to non-Abelian
residual gauge groups. We also calculated their string tensions exactly. In
doing so, we have considered in particular the hypermultiplet in the same
representation as the one of a diquark condensate. In the present work we
analyze some of the different phases of the theory and find that the magnetic
fluxes of the monopoles are multiple of the fundamental Z_{k}-string flux,
allowing for monopole confinement in one of the phase transitions of the
theory. We also calculate the threshold length for a string breaking. Some of
these confining theories can be obtained by adding a N=0 deformation term to
N=2 or N=4 superconformal theories.Comment: 12 pages. Final version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Gold Nanoparticle-Based Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering for Noninvasive Molecular Probing of Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation
This study reports the use of gold nanoparticle-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for probing the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells, including undifferentiated single cells, embryoid bodies (EBs), and terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were successfully delivered into all 3 mES cell differentiation stages without affecting cell viability or proliferation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the localization of GNPs inside the following cell organelles: mitochondria, secondary lysosome, and endoplasmic reticulum. Using bright- and dark-field imaging, the bright scattering of GNPs and nanoaggregates in all 3 ES cell differentiation stages could be visualized. EB (an early differentiation stage) and terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes both showed SERS peaks specific to metabolic activity in the mitochondria and to protein translation (amide I, amide II, and amide III peaks). These peaks have been rarely identified in undifferentiated single ES cells. Spatiotemporal changes observed in the SERS spectra from terminally differentiated cardiomyocyte tissues revealed local and dynamic molecular interactions as well as transformations during ES cell differentiation
Plasmon oscillations in ellipsoid nanoparticles: beyond dipole approximation
The plasmon oscillations of a metallic triaxial ellipsoid nanoparticle have
been studied within the framework of the quasistatic approximation. A general
method has been proposed for finding the analytical expressions describing the
potential and frequencies of the plasmon oscillations of an arbitrary
multipolarity order. The analytical expressions have been derived for an
electric potential and plasmon oscillation frequencies of the first 24 modes.
Other higher orders plasmon modes are investigated numerically.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figure
Graphene plasmonics: A platform for strong light-matter interaction
Graphene plasmons provide a suitable alternative to noble-metal plasmons
because they exhibit much larger confinement and relatively long propagation
distances, with the advantage of being highly tunable via electrostatic gating.
We report strong light- matter interaction assisted by graphene plasmons, and
in particular, we predict unprecedented high decay rates of quantum emitters in
the proximity of a carbon sheet, large vacuum Rabi splitting and Purcell
factors, and extinction cross sections exceeding the geometrical area in
graphene ribbons and nanometer-sized disks. Our results provide the basis for
the emerging and potentially far-reaching field of graphene plasmonics,
offering an ideal platform for cavity quantum electrodynamics and supporting
the possibility of single-molecule, single-plasmon devices.Comment: 39 pages, 15 figure
Color superconductivity, Z_N flux tubes and monopole confinement in deformed N=2* super Yang-Mills theories
We study the Z_N flux tubes and monopole confinement in deformed N=2* super
Yang-Mills theories. In order to do that we consider an N=4 super Yang-Mills
theory with an arbitrary gauge group G and add some N=2, N=1 and N=0
deformation terms. We analyze some possible vacuum solutions and phases of the
theory, depending on the deformation terms which are added. In the Coulomb
phase for the N=2* theory, G is broken to U(1)^r and the theory has monopole
solutions. Then, by adding some deformation terms, the theory passes to the
Higgs or color superconducting phase, in which G is broken to its center C_G.
In this phase we construct the Z_N flux tubes ansatz and obtain the BPS string
tension. We show that the monopole magnetic fluxes are linear integer
combinations of the string fluxes and therefore the monopoles can become
confined. Then, we obtain a bound for the threshold length of the
string-breaking. We also show the possible formation of a confining system with
3 different monopoles for the SU(3) gauge group. Finally we show that the BPS
string tensions of the theory satisfy the Casimir scaling law.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, typo corrections. Version to appear in Phys.
Rev.
In situ biospectroscopic investigation of rapid ischemic and postmortem induced biochemical alterations in the rat brain
© 2014 American Chemical Society. Rapid advances in imaging technologies have pushed novel spectroscopic modalities such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the sulfur K-edge to the forefront of direct in situ investigation of brain biochemistry. However, few studies have examined the extent to which sample preparation artifacts confound results. Previous investigations using traditional analyses, such as tissue dissection, homogenization, and biochemical assay, conducted extensive research to identify biochemical alterations that occur ex vivo during sample preparation. In particular, altered metabolism and oxidative stress may be caused by animal death. These processes were a concern for studies using biochemical assays, and protocols were developed to minimize their occurrence. In this investigation, a similar approach was taken to identify the biochemical alterations that are detectable by two in situ spectroscopic methods (FTIR, XAS) that occur as a consequence of ischemic conditions created during humane animal killing. FTIR and XAS are well suited to study markers of altered metabolism such as lactate and creatine (FTIR) and markers of oxidative stress such as aggregated proteins (FTIR) and altered thiol redox (XAS). The results are in accordance with previous investigations using biochemical assays and demonstrate that the time between animal death and tissue dissection results in ischemic conditions that alter brain metabolism and initiate oxidative stress. Therefore, future in situ biospectroscopic investigations utilizing FTIR and XAS must take into consideration that brain tissue dissected from a healthy animal does not truly reflect the in vivo condition, but rather reflects a state of mild ischemia. If studies require the levels of metabolites (lactate, creatine) and markers of oxidative stress (thiol redox) to be preserved as close as possible to the in vivo condition, then rapid freezing of brain tissue via decapitation into liquid nitrogen, followed by chiseling the brain out at dry ice temperatures is required
- …