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Main Authors: Hao, Shuang, Suebka, Sartanee, Su, Judith
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.07898
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author Hao, Shuang
Suebka, Sartanee
Su, Judith
author_facet Hao, Shuang
Suebka, Sartanee
Su, Judith
contents Label-free detection techniques for single particles and molecules play an important role in basic science, disease diagnostics, and nanomaterial investigations. While traditional fluorescence-based methods offer powerful tools for single molecule detection and imaging, they are limited by a narrow range of molecular probes and issues such as photoblinking and photobleaching. Photothermal microscopy has emerged as a label-free imaging technique capable of detecting individual nanoabsorbers with high sensitivity. Whispering gallery mode microresonators can confine light in a small volume for enhanced light-matter interaction and thus are a promising ultra-sensitive photothermal microscopy platform. Previously microtoroid optical resonators were combined with photothermal microscopy to detect 250 nm long gold nanorods. Here, we combine whispering gallery mode microtoroid optical resonators with photothermal microscopy to spatially detect 5 nm diameter quantum dots (QDs) with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) exceeding $10^4$. To achieve this, we integrated our microtoroid based photothermal microscopy setup with a low amplitude modulated pump laser and utilized the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller output as the photothermal signal source to reduce noise and enhance signal stability. The measured heat dissipation of these 5 nm QDs is below the detectable level from single dye molecules, showcasing the high sensitivity and discrimination capabilities of this platform. We anticipate that our work will have application in a wide variety of fields, including the biological sciences, nanotechnology, materials science, chemistry, and medicine.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2309_07898
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Single 5-nm quantum dot detection via microtoroid optical resonator photothermal microscopy
Hao, Shuang
Suebka, Sartanee
Su, Judith
Optics
Label-free detection techniques for single particles and molecules play an important role in basic science, disease diagnostics, and nanomaterial investigations. While traditional fluorescence-based methods offer powerful tools for single molecule detection and imaging, they are limited by a narrow range of molecular probes and issues such as photoblinking and photobleaching. Photothermal microscopy has emerged as a label-free imaging technique capable of detecting individual nanoabsorbers with high sensitivity. Whispering gallery mode microresonators can confine light in a small volume for enhanced light-matter interaction and thus are a promising ultra-sensitive photothermal microscopy platform. Previously microtoroid optical resonators were combined with photothermal microscopy to detect 250 nm long gold nanorods. Here, we combine whispering gallery mode microtoroid optical resonators with photothermal microscopy to spatially detect 5 nm diameter quantum dots (QDs) with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) exceeding $10^4$. To achieve this, we integrated our microtoroid based photothermal microscopy setup with a low amplitude modulated pump laser and utilized the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller output as the photothermal signal source to reduce noise and enhance signal stability. The measured heat dissipation of these 5 nm QDs is below the detectable level from single dye molecules, showcasing the high sensitivity and discrimination capabilities of this platform. We anticipate that our work will have application in a wide variety of fields, including the biological sciences, nanotechnology, materials science, chemistry, and medicine.
title Single 5-nm quantum dot detection via microtoroid optical resonator photothermal microscopy
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.07898