Prof Frank Vollmer
Professor, FInstP
(Streatham) 4771
01392 724771
Overview
Professor in Biophysics, Molecular & Quantum Sensors and SystemsLiving Systems Institute,
Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Exeter
Frank Vollmer is Professor in Biophysics at the University of Exeter, UK. He obtained his PhD in `Physics & Biology' from the Rockefeller University in NYC, USA, in 2004. He was Rowland Fellow at Harvard University from 2004 to 2009, Scholar-in-Residence at the Wyss Institute at Harvard in 2010, Group Leader (untenured Associate Professor) at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Germany from 2011-2016 and Instructor in Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School where he directed a satellite laboratory from 2011-2016. Since 2016 he is Professor in Biophysics at the School of Physics, University of Exeter, UK. He received the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2017 and in 2021 the Rosalind Franklin Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics (IoP). Since 2021 he is Fellow of the IoP.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=N59pNxIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Lab web site: https://www.vollmerlab.com/
Appointments
2017- 2020 Associate Director (International and Development), Living Systems Institute, Exeter
2016- Professor, University of Exeter, UK
2010-2016 Associate Professor/Group Leader (W2), Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Germany
2011-2016 Instructor in Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA
2013--2016 Privatdozent (Lecturer), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
2009-2010 Scholar-in-Residence, Wyss Institute, Harvard University, Boston, USA
2004-2009 Fellow, Rowland Institute at Harvard University, Boston, USA
Qualifications
2013 Venia Legendi (Habilitation) in Physics, Friedrich-Alexander University
Erlangen-Nuremberg
2004 PhD, Physics & Biology, Rockefeller University
New York City, USA
1998 MSc, Biophysical Chemistry, Leibnitz University
Hannover, Germany
1995 BSc, Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth
Germany
Honors and Awards
2021 Fellow Institute of Physics, FInstP, IoP
2021 Rosalind Franklin Medal and Prize, IoP
2018 EPSRC Established Career Fellow
2017 Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award
2011 R01 Grant Award, National Institutes of Health, NIGMS, USA
2010 Max Planck Research Group Award (MPRG)
2004 Rowland Fellowship, Harvard University (www.rowland.harvard.edu)
2000 PhD Fellowship, Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (www.BIFonds.de)
Professional Activities and Work Experience
2011--2017 Associate Editor, Optics Express
2013--2014 Organizer “Micro-cavity Biosensing” Conference in Bad Honnef, Germany
2005--2009 Micro- & Nanofabrication, Center for Nanoscale Systems, Harvard, USA
1992--1993 Medical-Technical Assistant, Katharinen-Hospital Suttgart, Germany
Referee (selected): Science, Nature Photonics, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, Physical Review Letters, Optics Letters, Applied Physics Letters, ACS Nano, Biophysical Journal, Lab on a Chip, Optics Express, Humboldt, DFG, ERC, ISERD
Recent Grant Funding
Research Current Awards
Awarded Date
Project Description
Total Award Value
19 Jan 2021
CoA Physics of Life Molecular Mechanics of Enzymes
£153,089
14 Oct 2020
EPSRC Core Equipment Award 2020 - Sub Award - Exeter Biomaterials Optical Characterisation Suite
£46,816
9 Oct 2020
EPSRC - Exeter Biomaterials Optical Characterisation Suite - EBOC Core Equipment Award 2020/21 - Additional Award
£282,500
8 Oct 2020
EPSRC - Exeter Biomaterials Optical Characterisation Suite - EBOC Core Equipment Award 2020/21
£0
24 Jul 2020
19-BBSRC-NSF/BIO
£543,257
15 Apr 2019
Physics of Life - Mechanobiology of Enzymes
£2,087,000
9 Sep 2018
A Optical Single Molecule Scanner of Protein Motion
£1,571,017
24 Nov 2016
Exploring Nanoscale Dynamics Of Proteins
£125,000
16 Nov 2016
ULTRACHIRAL / H2020 / FET open 2016 / Vollmer
£457,600
Publications
Copyright Notice: Any articles made available for download are for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the copyright holder.
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2003 | 2002 | 1999 |
2024
- Zossimova E, Fiedler J, Vollmer F, Walter M. (2024) Hybrid quantum-classical polarizability model for single molecule biosensing, Nanoscale, volume 16, no. 11, pages 5820-5828, DOI:10.1039/d3nr05396b. [PDF]
- Houghton MC, Kashanian SV, Derrien TL, Masuda K, Vollmer F. (2024) Whispering-Gallery Mode Optoplasmonic Microcavities: From Advanced Single-Molecule Sensors and Microlasers to Applications in Synthetic Biology, ACS Photonics, volume 11, no. 3, pages 892-903, DOI:10.1021/acsphotonics.3c01570. [PDF]
- Ferreira MFS, Brambilla G, Thévenaz L, Feng X, Zhang L, Sumetsky M, Jones C, Pedireddy S, Vollmer F, Dragic PD. (2024) Roadmap on optical sensors, J Opt, volume 26, no. 1, DOI:10.1088/2040-8986/ad0e85. [PDF]
2023
- Toropov NA, Houghton MC, Yu D, Vollmer F. (2023) Thermo-optoplasmonic single-molecule sensing on optical microcavities, DOI:10.1101/2023.12.13.571444. [PDF]
- Wu HY, Vollmer F. (2023) Multipolar Coherent Amplification of Chiroptical Scattering and Absorption from a Magnetoelectric Core-shell Nanoparticle, International Conference on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics, pages 647-648.
- Wu H-Y, Vollmer F. (2023) Coherent multipolar amplification of chiroptical scattering and absorption from a magnetoelectric nanoparticle, Communications Physics, volume 6, no. 1, article no. 251, DOI:10.1038/s42005-023-01376-w. [PDF]
- Eerqing N, Wu H-Y, Subramanian S, Vincent S, Vollmer F. (2023) Anomalous DNA hybridisation kinetics on gold nanorods revealed via a dual single-molecule imaging and optoplasmonic sensing platform, Nanoscale Horiz, volume 8, no. 7, pages 935-947, DOI:10.1039/d3nh00080j. [PDF]
- Pellegrino PM, Brambilla G, Vollmer F, Choy JT. (2023) Optical sensors, 2022: introduction to the feature issue, Optics Express, volume 31, no. 9, pages 14997-14999, DOI:10.1364/oe.491524.
- Kish M, Subramanian S, Smith V, Lethbridge N, Cole L, Vollmer F, Bond NJ, Phillips JJ. (2023) Allosteric Regulation of Glycogen Phosphorylase by Order/Disorder Transition of the 250' and 280s Loops, Biochemistry, volume 62, no. 8, pages 1360-1368, DOI:10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00671. [PDF]
- Serrano MP, Subramanian S, von Bilderling C, Rafti M, Vollmer F. (2023) “Grafting-To” Covalent Binding of Plasmonic Nanoparticles onto Silica WGM Microresonators: Mechanically Robust Single-Molecule Sensors and Determination of Activation Energies from Single-Particle Events, Sensors, volume 23, no. 7, pages 3455-3455, DOI:10.3390/s23073455. [PDF]
- Jones C, Xavier J, Vartabi Kashanian S, Nguyen M, Aharonovich I, Vollmer F. (2023) Time-dependent Mandel Q parameter analysis for a hexagonal boron nitride single photon source, Optics Express, volume 31, no. 6, pages 10794-10804, DOI:10.1364/oe.485216.
- Eerqing N. (2023) Single-molecule Characterisation of DNA Hybridization via Fluorescence Microscopy and Optoplasmonic Sensing Approaches.
- Yu D, Vollmer F, Del’Haye P, Zhang S. (2023) Proposal for a hybrid clock system consisting of passive and active optical clocks and a fully stabilized microcomb, Optics Express, volume 31, no. 4, pages 6228-6240, DOI:10.1364/oe.482722.
- Yu D, Vollmer F, Zhang S. (2023) Proposal for an active whispering-gallery microclock, Quantum Science and Technology, volume 8, no. 2, pages 025005-025005, DOI:10.1088/2058-9565/acb3f2. [PDF]
2022
- Eerqing N, Sivaraman S, Rubio J, Lutz T, Wu HY, Anders J, Soeller C, Vollmer F. (2022) Comparing Single DNA Transient Hybridization Kinetics Using DNA-PAINT and Optoplasmonic Sensing approaches, International Conference on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics, pages 1035-1036.
- Eerqing N, Wu H-Y, Subramanian S, Vincent S, Vollmer F. (2022) Anomalous DNA hybridisation kinetics on gold nanorods revealed via a dual single-molecule imaging and optoplasmonic sensing platform, Nanoscale Horizons, 2023. [PDF]
- Wu HY, Vollmer F. (2022) Enhanced Chiroptical Sensing through Coherent Perfect Absorption in a Parity-Time Symmetric System, 2022 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, CLEO 2022 - Proceedings.
- Toropov N, Houghton M, Yu D, Vollmer F. (2022) A New Detecting Mechanism of Single-Molecule Optoplasmonic Sensors, Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress 2022 (AIS, LACSEA, Sensors, ES), DOI:10.1364/sensors.2022.sw3e.6.
- Vollmer F, Yu D. (2022) Optical Whispering Gallery Modes for Biosensing, From Physical Principles to Applications, DOI:10.1007/978-3-031-06858-4.
- Wu HY, Vollmer F. (2022) Enhanced Chiroptical Sensing through Coherent Perfect Absorption in a Parity-Time Symmetric System, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
- Eerqing N, Sivaraman S, Rubio J, Lutz T, Wu H-Y, Anders J, Soeller C, Vollmer F. (2022) Comparing Individual DNA Transient Hybridization Kinetics Using DNA-PAINT and Optoplasmonic Sensing techniques, Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, DOI:10.1364/cleo_qels.2022.fw5i.2.
- Wu H-Y, Vollmer F. (2022) Enhanced chiroptical responses through coherent perfect absorption in a parity-time symmetric system, Nature Communications Physics, volume 5, no. 1, pages 1-9, article no. 78, DOI:10.1038/s42005-022-00855-w.
- . (2022) Single Molecule Sensing Beyond Fluorescence, Springer International Publishing, DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-90339-8. [PDF]
- Subramanian S, Kalani Perera KM, Pedireddy S, Vollmer F. (2022) Optoplasmonic Whispering Gallery Mode Sensors for Single Molecule Characterization: A Practical Guide, Single Molecule Sensing Beyond Fluorescence, Springer Nature, 37-96, DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-90339-8_2.
- Watanabe K, Wu H, Xavier J, Joshi LT, Vollmer F. (2022) Single Virus Detection on Silicon Photonic Crystal Random Cavities, Small, pages 2107597-2107597, DOI:10.1002/smll.202107597.
- Yu D. (2022) Active Optomechanics, Nature Communications Physics, DOI:10.1038/s42005-022-00841-2.
2021
- Toropov N, Osborne E, Joshi LT, Vollmer F. (2021) Direct single-particle detection and sizes recognition of adenovirus with whispering-gallery mode resonances, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
- Yu D, Humar M, Meserve K, Bailey RC, Chormaic SN, Vollmer F. (2021) Whispering-gallery-mode sensors for biological and physical sensing, Nature Reviews Methods Primers, volume 1, article no. 83, DOI:10.1038/s43586-021-00079-2.
- Eerqing N, Subramanian S, Rubio J, Lutz T, Wu H-Y, Anders J, Soeller C, Vollmer F. (2021) Comparing Transient Oligonucleotide Hybridization Kinetics Using DNA-PAINT and Optoplasmonic Single-Molecule Sensing on Gold Nanorods, ACS Photonics, volume 0, pages 0-5, DOI:10.1021/acsphotonics.1c01179. [PDF]
- Subramanian S. (2021) A whispering gallery mode based biosensor platform for single enzyme analysis.
- Toropov N, Osborne E, Joshi LT, Davidson J, Morgan C, Page J, Pepperell J, Vollmer F. (2021) SARS-CoV-2 Tests: Bridging the Gap between Laboratory Sensors and Clinical Applications, ACS Sensors, article no. acssensors.1c00612, DOI:10.1021/acssensors.1c00612. [PDF]
- Xiao Y-F, Vollmer F. (2021) Special Issue on the 60th anniversary of the first laser—Series I: Microcavity Photonics—from fundamentals to applications, Light: Science & Applications, volume 10, no. 1, article no. 141, DOI:10.1038/s41377-021-00583-w. [PDF]
- Yu D, Vollmer F. (2021) Microscale whispering-gallery-mode light sources with lattice-confined atoms, Scientific Reports, volume 11, pages 1-11, DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-93295-5. [PDF]
- Toropov N, Vollmer F. (2021) Whispering-gallery microlasers for cell tagging and barcoding: the prospects for in vivo biosensing, Light: Science & Applications, volume 10, no. 1, article no. 77, DOI:10.1038/s41377-021-00517-6. [PDF]
- Kakkanattu A, Eerqing N, Ghamari S, Vollmer F. (2021) Review of optical sensing and manipulation of chiral molecules and nanostructures with the focus on plasmonic enhancements [Invited], Optics Express, volume 29, no. 8, pages 12543-12543, DOI:10.1364/oe.421839. [PDF]
- Subramanian S, Jones HBL, Frustaci S, Winter S, van der Kamp MW, Arcus VL, Pudney CR, Vollmer F. (2021) Sensing Enzyme Activation Heat Capacity at the Single-Molecule Level Using Gold-Nanorod-Based Optical Whispering Gallery Modes, ACS Applied Nano Materials, volume 4, no. 5, pages 4576-4583, DOI:10.1021/acsanm.1c00176. [PDF]
- Yu D, Vollmer F. (2021) Allan deviation tells the binding properties in single-molecule sensing with whispering-gallery-mode optical microcavities, Physical Review Research, volume 3, no. 2, article no. 023087, DOI:10.1103/physrevresearch.3.023087. [PDF]
- Yu D, Vollmer F. (2021) Spontaneous PT-Symmetry Breaking in Lasing Dynamics, Communications Physics, volume 4, article no. 77, DOI:10.1038/s42005-021-00575-7.
- Xavier J, Yu D, Jones C, Zossimova E, Vollmer F. (2021) Quantum nanophotonic and nanoplasmonic sensing: towards quantum optical bioscience laboratories on chip, Nanophotonics, volume 10, no. 5, pages 1387-1435, DOI:10.1515/nanoph-2020-0593. [PDF]
- Toropov N, Cabello G, Serrano MP, Gutha RR, Rafti M, Vollmer F. (2021) Review of biosensing with whispering-gallery mode lasers, Light: Science & Applications, volume 10, no. 1, article no. 42, DOI:10.1038/s41377-021-00471-3. [PDF]
2020
- Liu W, Chen Y-L, Tang S-J, Vollmer F, Xiao Y-F. (2020) Nonlinear Sensing with Whispering-Gallery Mode Microcavities: From Label-Free Detection to Spectral Fingerprinting, Nano Letters, volume 21, no. 4, pages 1566-1575, DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c04090. [PDF]
- K. Hussain K, Malavia D, M. Johnson E, Littlechild J, Winlove CP, Vollmer F, Gow NAR. (2020) Biosensors and Diagnostics for Fungal Detection, Journal of Fungi, volume 6, no. 4, pages 349-349, DOI:10.3390/jof6040349. [PDF]
- Peimyoo N, Wu H-Y, Escolar J, De Sanctis A, Prando G, Vollmer F, Withers F, Riis-Jensen AC, Craciun MF, Thygesen KS. (2020) Engineering Dielectric Screening for Potential-well Arrays of Excitons in 2D Materials, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, volume 12, no. 49, pages 55134-55140, DOI:10.1021/acsami.0c14696. [PDF]
- Vollmer F. (2020) Optical Whispering Gallery Modes for Biosensing - From Physical Principles to Applications, DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-60235-2.
- Subramanian S, Vincent S, Vollmer F. (2020) Effective linewidth shifts in single-molecule detection using optical whispering gallery modes, Applied Physics Letters, volume 117, no. 15, DOI:10.1063/5.0028113. [PDF]
- Vincent S. (2020) Characterisation of Single Biomolecules With Optoplasmonic Resonators.
- Subramanian S, Frustaci S, Vollmer F. (2020) Microsecond single-molecule enzymology using plasmonically enhanced optical resonators, Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE, volume 11258, DOI:10.1117/12.2559381.
- Vincent S, Subramanian S, Vollmer F. (2020) Publisher Correction: Optoplasmonic characterisation of reversible disulfide interactions at single thiol sites in the attomolar regime, Nat Commun, volume 11, no. 1, DOI:10.1038/s41467-020-16611-z. [PDF]
- Vincent S, Subramanian S, Vollmer F. (2020) Optoplasmonic characterisation of reversible disulfide interactions at single thiol sites in the attomolar regime, Nature Communications, volume 11, no. 1, article no. 2043, DOI:10.1038/s41467-020-15822-8. [PDF]
- Vincent S, Jiang X, Russell P, Vollmer F. (2020) Thermally tunable whispering-gallery mode cavities for magneto-optics, Applied Physics Letters, volume 116, no. 16, DOI:10.1063/5.0006367. [PDF]
2019
- Subramanian S, Vincent S, Vollmer F. (2019) Single-Molecule Optoplasmonic Sensing of Enzyme Dynamics and Chiral Aminoacids, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers, volume Part F172-ES 2019.
- Vincent S, Subramanian S, Vollmer F. (2019) Single-molecule optoplasmonic sensing of enzyme dynamics and chiral aminoacids, Optics and Photonics for Sensing the Environment - Proceedings Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress (ES, FTS, HISE, Sensors).
- Kish M, Smith V, Subramanian S, Vollmer F, Lethbridge N, Cole L, Bond NJ, Phillips JJ. (2019) Allosteric regulation of glycogen phosphorylase solution phase structural dynamics at high spatial resolution, DOI:10.1101/654665.
- Frustaci S, Vollmer F. (2019) Whispering-gallery mode (WGM) sensors: review of established and WGM-based techniques to study protein conformational dynamics, Curr Opin Chem Biol, volume 51, pages 66-73, DOI:10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.05.003. [PDF]
2018
- Subramanian S, Wu H-Y, Constant T, Xavier J, Vollmer F. (2018) Label-Free Optical Single-Molecule Micro- and Nanosensors, Adv Mater, volume 30, no. 51, DOI:10.1002/adma.201801246. [PDF]
- Chen Y-J, Schoeler U, Huang C-HB, Vollmer F. (2018) Combining Whispering-Gallery Mode Optical Biosensors with Microfluidics for Real-Time Detection of Protein Secretion from Living Cells in Complex Media, Small, volume 14, no. 22, DOI:10.1002/smll.201703705. [PDF]
2017
- Guliaev R, Xavier J, Vollmer F. (2017) Numerical analysis of plasmonic nanostar-whispering gallery mode hybrid microresonator, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers, volume Part F82-CLEO_Europe 2017.
- Vollmer F. (2017) Advances in Optoplasmonic Sensors, Nanophotonics, volume 1, DOI:10.1515/nanoph-2017-0064.
- Vollmer F. (2017) Roadmap on Optical Sensors - Whispering-Gallery Mode Sensors, Journal of Optics, volume 19, pages 083001-083001, DOI:10.1088/2040-8986/aa7419.
- Mahdavi A, Roth P, Xavier J, Paraïso TK, Banzer P, Vollmer F. (2017) Free space excitation of coupled Anderson-localized modes in photonic crystal waveguides with polarization tailored beam, Applied Physics Letters, volume 110, pages 241101-241101, article no. 24, DOI:10.1063/1.4986187. [PDF]
- Mahdavi A, Roth P, Xavier J, Paraïso TK, Banzer P, Vollmer F. (2017) Free space excitation of coupled Anderson-localized modes in photonic crystal waveguides with polarization tailored beam, Applied Physics Letters, volume 110, pages 241101-241101, article no. 24, DOI:10.1063/1.4986187. [PDF]
- Kim E, Baaske MD, Schuldes I, Wilsch PS, Vollmer F. (2017) Label-free optical detection of single enzyme-reactant reactions and associated conformational changes, Science Advances, volume 3, article no. 3, DOI:10.1126/sciadv.1603044. [PDF]
- Kim E, Baaske MD, Vollmer F. (2017) Towards next-generation label-free biosensors: recent advances in whispering gallery mode sensors, Lab Chip, volume 17, no. 7, pages 1190-1205, DOI:10.1039/c6lc01595f. [PDF]
2016
- Kim E, Baaske MD, Vollmer F. (2016) In Situ Observation of Single-Molecule Surface Reactions from Low to High Affinities with Optical Microcavities, Advanced Materials, volume 28, no. 45, pages 9941-9948, DOI:10.1002/adma.201603153.
- Baaske MD, Vollmer F. (2016) Optical observation of single atomic ions interacting with plasmonic nanorods in aqueous solution, Nature Photonics, volume 10, no. 11, pages 733-739, DOI:10.1038/nphoton.2016.177. [PDF]
- Mahdavi A, Sarau G, Xavier J, Paraïso TK, Christiansen S, Vollmer F. (2016) Maximizing Photoluminescence Extraction in Silicon Photonic Crystal Slabs, Scientific Reports, volume 6, no. 1, article no. 25135, DOI:10.1038/srep25135. [PDF]
- Chen Y-J, Xiang W, Klucken J, Vollmer F. (2016) Tracking micro-optical resonances for identifying and sensing novel procaspase-3 protein marker released from cell cultures in response to toxins, Nanotechnology, volume 27, no. 16, pages 164001-164001, DOI:10.1088/0957-4484/27/16/164001. [PDF]
- Wu F, Wu Y, Niu Z, Vollmer F. (2016) Integrating a DNA Strand Displacement Reaction with a Whispering Gallery Mode Sensor for Label-Free Mercury (II) Ion Detection, Sensors (Basel), volume 16, no. 8, DOI:10.3390/s16081197. [PDF]
- Amit I, Baker D, Barker R, Berger B, Bertozzi C, Bhatia S, Biffi A, Demichelis F, Doudna J, Dowdy SF. (2016) Voices of biotech, Nat Biotechnol, volume 34, no. 3, pages 270-275, DOI:10.1038/nbt.3502. [PDF]
2015
- Vollmer F, Baaske M, Foreman M. (2015) Detecting single molecule interactions with plasmon-enhanced optical microcavities, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
- Vollmer F, Baaske M, Foreman M. (2015) Detecting single molecule interactions with plasmon-enhanced optical microcavities, Proceedings 2015 European Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics - European Quantum Electronics Conference, CLEO/Europe-EQEC 2015.
- Vollmer F. (2015) Single nucleic acid interactions monitored with optical microcavity biosensors, CLEO: Science and Innovations, CLEO-SI 2015, DOI:10.1364/CLEO_SI.2015.SM3O.1.
- Vollmer F. (2015) Advances in single molecule biosensing, Optical Sensors, Sensors 2015, DOI:10.1364/sensors.2015.set4c.2.
- Foreman MR, Swaim JD, Vollmer F. (2015) Whispering gallery mode sensors: Erratum, Advances in Optics and Photonics, volume 7, no. 3, pages 632-634, DOI:10.1364/AOP.7.000632.
- Vollmer F. (2015) Single Nucleic Acid Interactions Monitored with Optical Microcavity Biosensors, 2015 CONFERENCE ON LASERS AND ELECTRO-OPTICS (CLEO). [PDF]
- Kim E, Foreman MR, Baaske MD, Vollmer F. (2015) Thermal characterisation of (bio)polymers with a temperature-stabilised whispering gallery mode microsensor, Applied Physics Letters, volume 106, no. 16, DOI:10.1063/1.4918932. [PDF]
- Foreman MR, Vollmer F. (2015) Optical tracking of anomalous diffusion kinetics in polymer microspheres, Phys Rev Lett, volume 114, no. 11, DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.118001. [PDF]
- Rosenblum S, Lovsky Y, Arazi L, Vollmer F, Dayan B. (2015) Cavity ring-up spectroscopy for ultrafast sensing with optical microresonators, Nature Communications, volume 6, no. 1, article no. 6788, DOI:10.1038/ncomms7788. [PDF]
- Ballard Z, Baaske M, Vollmer F. (2015) Stand-Off Biodetection with Free-Space Coupled Asymmetric Microsphere Cavities, Sensors, volume 15, no. 4, pages 8968-8980, DOI:10.3390/s150408968. [PDF]
- Foreman MR, Swaim JD, Vollmer F. (2015) Whispering gallery mode sensors, Advances in Optics and Photonics, volume 7, no. 2, pages 168-168, DOI:10.1364/aop.7.000168. [PDF]
- Wilson KA, Finch CA, Anderson P, Vollmer F, Hickman JJ. (2015) Combining an optical resonance biosensor with enzyme activity kinetics to understand protein adsorption and denaturation, Biomaterials, volume 38, pages 86-96, DOI:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.10.002. [PDF]
- Wu FC, Wu Y, Niu Z, Vollmer F. (2015) Ratiometric detection of oligonucleotide stoichiometry on multifunctional gold nanoparticles by whispering gallery mode biosensing, Analyst, volume 140, no. 9, pages 2969-2972, DOI:10.1039/c5an00179j. [PDF]
2014
- Wu Y, Vollmer F. (2014) Whispering Gallery Mode Biomolecular Sensors, Cavity-Enhanced Spectroscopy and Sensing, 323-349, DOI:10.1007/978-3-642-40003-2_9.
- Vollmer F, Baaske M, Foreman M. (2014) Detecting single molecule interactions with plasmon-enhanced optical microcavities, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
- Foreman MR, Vollmer F. (2014) Nanoparticle based plasmonic enhancement of high Q optical microresonators, 2014 IEEE PHOTONICS CONFERENCE (IPC), pages 290-291. [PDF]
- Shao L, Jiang X, Yu X, Li B, Clements WR, Vollmer F, Wang W, Xiao Y, Gong Q. (2014) Detection of Single Nanoparticles and Lentiviruses Using Microcavity Resonance Broadening, Advanced Materials, volume 26, no. 7, pages 991-991, DOI:10.1002/adma.201400142. [PDF]
- Foreman MR, Avino S, Zullo R, Loock H-P, Vollmer F, Gagliardi G. (2014) Enhanced nanoparticle detection with liquid droplet resonators, The European Physical Journal Special Topics, volume 223, no. 10, pages 1971-1988, DOI:10.1140/epjst/e2014-02240-9. [PDF]
- Foreman MR, Jin W-L, Vollmer F. (2014) Optimizing detection limits in whispering gallery mode biosensing, Optics Express, volume 22, no. 5, pages 5491-5491, DOI:10.1364/oe.22.005491. [PDF]
- Webster A, Vollmer F, Sato Y. (2014) Probing biomechanical properties with a centrifugal force quartz crystal microbalance, Nature Communications, volume 5, no. 1, article no. 5284, DOI:10.1038/ncomms6284. [PDF]
- Vollmer F, Schwefel HGL. (2014) Taking detection to the limit with optical microcavities: Recent advances presented at the 560. WE Heraeus Seminar, The European Physical Journal Special Topics, volume 223, no. 10, pages 1907-1916, DOI:10.1140/epjst/e2014-02271-2. [PDF]
- Wu Y, Zhang DY, Yin P, Vollmer F. (2014) Ultraspecific and Highly Sensitive Nucleic Acid Detection by Integrating a DNA Catalytic Network with a Label‐Free Microcavity, Small, volume 10, no. 10, pages 2067-2076, DOI:10.1002/smll.201303558. [PDF]
- Baaske MD, Foreman MR, Vollmer F. (2014) Single-molecule nucleic acid interactions monitored on a label-free microcavity biosensor platform, Nature Nanotechnology, volume 9, no. 11, pages 933-939, DOI:10.1038/nnano.2014.180. [PDF]
2013
- Vollmer F. (2013) Enhancing WGM biosensing with plasmonics & DNA nanotechnology, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers, DOI:10.1364/sensors.2013.sm2c.1.
- Sarau G, Lahiri B, Banzer P, Gupta P, Bhattacharya A, Vollmer F, Christiansen S. (2013) Split Ring Resonators: Enhanced Raman Scattering of Graphene using Arrays of Split Ring Resonators (Advanced Optical Materials 2/2013), Advanced Optical Materials, volume 1, no. 2, pages 150-150, DOI:10.1002/adom.201370016.
- Vollmer F. (2013) Enhancing Whispering Gallery Mode Biosensing, 2013 15TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TRANSPARENT OPTICAL NETWORKS (ICTON 2013). [PDF]
- Foreman MR, Vollmer F. (2013) Level repulsion in hybrid photonic-plasmonic microresonators for enhanced biodetection, Physical Review A, volume 88, no. 2, article no. 023831, DOI:10.1103/physreva.88.023831. [PDF]
- Webster A, Vollmer F. (2013) Interference of conically scattered light in surface plasmon resonance, Optics Letters, volume 38, no. 3, pages 244-244, DOI:10.1364/ol.38.000244. [PDF]
- Shao L, Jiang X, Yu X, Li B, Clements WR, Vollmer F, Wang W, Xiao Y, Gong Q. (2013) Detection of Single Nanoparticles and Lentiviruses Using Microcavity Resonance Broadening, Advanced Materials, volume 25, no. 39, pages 5616-5620, DOI:10.1002/adma201302572. [PDF]
- Sarau G, Lahiri B, Banzer P, Gupta P, Bhattacharya A, Vollmer F, Christiansen S. (2013) Enhanced Raman Scattering of Graphene using Arrays of Split Ring Resonators, Advanced Optical Materials, volume 1, no. 2, pages 151-157, DOI:10.1002/adom.201200053. [PDF]
- Foreman MR, Vollmer F. (2013) Publisher's Note: Level repulsion in hybrid photonic-plasmonic microresonators for enhanced biodetection [Phys. Rev. A88, 023831 (2013)], Physical Review A, volume 88, no. 2, article no. 029906, DOI:10.1103/physreva.88.029906. [PDF]
- Foreman MR, Vollmer F. (2013) Theory of resonance shifts of whispering gallery modes by arbitrary plasmonic nanoparticles, New Journal of Physics, volume 15, no. 8, pages 083006-083006, DOI:10.1088/1367-2630/15/8/083006. [PDF]
2012
- Roy S, Sethi P, Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2012) All-optical reversible logic gates with optically controlled bacteriorhodopsin protein-coated microresonators, Advances in Optical Technologies, DOI:10.1155/2012/727206.
- Vollmer F, Roy S. (2012) Optical resonator based Biomolecular sensors and logic devices, Journal of the Indian Institute of Science, volume 92, no. 2, pages 233-252.
- Vollmer F. (2012) Optical Resonator-based Biosensors: Plasmonic Enhancements for Label-free Single Molecule Detection, 2012 IEEE PHOTONICS CONFERENCE (IPC), pages 334-335. [PDF]
- Finch C, Wilson K, Anderson P, Vollmer F, Hickman JJ. (2012) Quantifying and modeling the adsorption kinetics of glucose oxidase utilizing a whispering gallery mode biosensor, ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, volume 243. [PDF]
- Vollmer F. (2012) Plasmon-Enhanced Whispering Gallery Mode Biosensing, 2012 PHOTONICS GLOBAL CONFERENCE (PGC). [PDF]
- Vollmer F, Yang L. (2012) Review Label-free detection with high-Q microcavities: a review of biosensing mechanisms for integrated devices, Nanophotonics, volume 1, no. 3-4, pages 267-291, DOI:10.1515/nanoph-2012-0021. [PDF]
- Santiago‐Cordoba MA, Cetinkaya M, Boriskina SV, Vollmer F, Demirel MC. (2012) Ultrasensitive detection of a protein by optical trapping in a photonic‐plasmonic microcavity, Journal of Biophotonics, volume 5, no. 8-9, pages 629-638, DOI:10.1002/jbio.201200040. [PDF]
- Wilson KA, Finch CA, Anderson P, Vollmer F, Hickman JJ. (2012) Whispering gallery mode biosensor quantification of fibronectin adsorption kinetics onto alkylsilane monolayers and interpretation of resultant cellular response, Biomaterials, volume 33, no. 1, pages 225-236, DOI:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.09.036. [PDF]
2011
- Quan Q, Vollmer F, Burgess IB, Deotare PB, Frank IW, Tang SKY, Illic R, Loncar M. (2011) Ultrasensitive on-chip photonic crystal nanobeam sensor using optical bistability, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers, DOI:10.1364/qels.2011.qthh6.
- Quan Q, Burgess IB, Tang SKY, Floyd DL, Deotare PB, Frank IW, Ilic R, Vollmer F, Loncar M. (2011) Label-free sensing with photonic crystal nanobeam cavities, 15th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences 2011, MicroTAS 2011, volume 3, pages 1962-1964.
- Vollmer F. (2011) Microcavity Biosensing, FRONTIERS IN ULTRAFAST OPTICS: BIOMEDICAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS XI, volume 7925, DOI:10.1117/12.881127. [PDF]
- Quan Q, Vollmer F, Burgess IB, Deotare PB, Frank IW, Sindy, Tang KY, Illic R, Loncar M. (2011) Ultrasensitive On-Chip Photonic Crystal Nanobeam Sensor using Optical Bistability, 2011 CONFERENCE ON LASERS AND ELECTRO-OPTICS (CLEO). [PDF]
- Sethi P, Roy S, Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2011) All-Optical Reversible Logic Gates with Microresonators, PHOTONICS 2010: TENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FIBER OPTICS AND PHOTONICS, volume 8173, DOI:10.1117/12.897970. [PDF]
- Baaske M, Vollmer F. (2011) Optical Resonator Biosensors: Molecular Diagnostic and Nanoparticle Detection on an Integrated Platform, ChemPhysChem, volume 13, no. 2, pages 427-436, DOI:10.1002/cphc.201100757. [PDF]
- Yang J-K, Noh H, Rooks MJ, Solomon GS, Vollmer F, Cao H. (2011) Lasing in localized modes of a slow light photonic crystal waveguide, Applied Physics Letters, volume 98, no. 24, DOI:10.1063/1.3600344. [PDF]
- Santiago-Cordoba MA, Boriskina SV, Vollmer F, Demirel MC. (2011) Nanoparticle-based protein detection by optical shift of a resonant microcavity, Applied Physics Letters, volume 99, no. 7, DOI:10.1063/1.3599706. [PDF]
2010
- Roy S, Prasad M, Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2010) All-Optical Arithmetic and Combinatorial Logic Circuits with High-Q Bacteriorhodopsin Coated Microcavities. [PDF]
- Roy S, Prasad M, Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2010) All-optical computing circuits based on bacteriorhodopsin protein coated microcavity switches, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
- Roy S, Prasad M, Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2010) All-Optical Computing Circuits based on Bacteriorhodopsin Protein Coated Microcavity Switches, 2010 CONFERENCE ON LASERS AND ELECTRO-OPTICS (CLEO) AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS AND LASER SCIENCE CONFERENCE (QELS). [PDF]
- Roy S, Prasad M, Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2010) All-optical switching with bacteriorhodopsin protein coated microcavities and its application to low power computing circuits, Journal of Applied Physics, volume 107, no. 5, DOI:10.1063/1.3310385. [PDF]
2009
- Topolancik J, Vollmer F, Ilic R, Crescimanno M. (2009) Optical wave transport and localization in disordered photonic crystal waveguides, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
- Vollmer F, Arnold S. (2009) Optical microcavities: Label-free detection down to single virus particles, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers, DOI:10.1364/ls.2009.lsmg2.
- Topolancik J, Vollmer F, Ilic R, Crescimanno M. (2009) Optical Wave Transport and Localization in Disordered Photonic Crystal Waveguides, 2009 CONFERENCE ON LASERS AND ELECTRO-OPTICS AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS AND LASER SCIENCE CONFERENCE (CLEO/QELS 2009), VOLS 1-5, pages 1321-+. [PDF]
- Vollmer F, Arnold S. (2009) Optical Microcavities: Single Virus Detection and Nanoparticle Trapping, BIOSENSING II, volume 7397, DOI:10.1117/12.827264. [PDF]
- Arnold S, Keng D, Shopova SI, Holler S, Zurawsky W, Vollmer F. (2009) Whispering gallery mode carousel – a photonic mechanism for enhanced nanoparticle detection in biosensing, Optics Express, volume 17, no. 8, pages 6230-6230, DOI:10.1364/oe.17.006230. [PDF]
- Topolancik J, Vollmer F, Ilic R, Crescimanno M. (2009) Out-of-plane scattering from vertically asymmetric photonic crystal slab waveguides with in-plane disorder, Optics Express, volume 17, no. 15, pages 12470-12470, DOI:10.1364/oe.17.012470. [PDF]
2008
- Yang J, Heo J, Xu J, Vollmer F, Topolancik J, Ilic R, Bhattacharya P. (2008) Excitation of silicon-based random photonic crystal nanocavities with PbSe colloidal quantum dots, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
- Yang J, Heo J, Xu J, Vollmer F, Topolancik J, Ilic R, Bhattacharya P. (2008) Excitation of Silicon-Based Random Photonic Crystal Nanocavities with PbSe Colloidal Quantum Dots, 2008 CONFERENCE ON LASERS AND ELECTRO-OPTICS & QUANTUM ELECTRONICS AND LASER SCIENCE CONFERENCE, VOLS 1-9, pages 1497-+. [PDF]
- Vollmer F, Topolancik J. (2008) Disorder-induced high-Q cavities in photonic crystal waveguides, LASER RESONATORS AND BEAM CONTROL X, volume 6872, DOI:10.1117/12.773405. [PDF]
- Vollmer F, Arnold S, Keng D. (2008) Single virus detection from the reactive shift of a whispering-gallery mode, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, volume 105, no. 52, pages 20701-20704, DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808988106. [PDF]
- Vollmer F, Arnold S. (2008) Whispering-gallery-mode biosensing: label-free detection down to single molecules, Nature Methods, volume 5, no. 7, pages 591-596, DOI:10.1038/nmeth.1221. [PDF]
- Yang J, Heo J, Zhu T, Xu J, Topolancik J, Vollmer F, Ilic R, Bhattacharya P. (2008) Enhanced photoluminescence from embedded PbSe colloidal quantum dots in silicon-based random photonic crystal microcavities, Applied Physics Letters, volume 92, no. 26, DOI:10.1063/1.2954007. [PDF]
2007
- Vollmer F, Fischer P. (2007) Frequency-domain displacement sensing with a fiber ring-resonator containing a variable gap, Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, volume 134, no. 2, pages 410-413, DOI:10.1016/j.sna.2006.06.022. [PDF]
- Lien V, Vollmer F. (2007) Microfluidic flow rate detection based on integrated optical fiber cantilever, Lab on a Chip, volume 7, no. 10, pages 1352-1352, DOI:10.1039/b706944h. [PDF]
- Topolancik J, Vollmer F, Ilic B. (2007) Random high-Q cavities in disordered photonic crystal waveguides, Applied Physics Letters, volume 91, no. 20, DOI:10.1063/1.2809614. [PDF]
- Topolancik J, Ilic B, Vollmer F. (2007) Experimental Observation of Strong Photon Localization in Disordered Photonic Crystal Waveguides, Physical Review Letters, volume 99, no. 25, article no. 253901, DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.99.253901. [PDF]
- Ren H-C, Vollmer F, Arnold S, Libchaber A. (2007) High-Q microsphere biosensor - analysis for adsorption of rodlike bacteria, Optics Express, volume 15, no. 25, pages 17410-17410, DOI:10.1364/oe.15.017410. [PDF]
- Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2007) Photoinduced Transformations in Bacteriorhodopsin Membrane Monitored with Optical Microcavities, Biophysical Journal, volume 92, no. 6, pages 2223-2229, DOI:10.1529/biophysj.106.098806. [PDF]
2006
- Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2006) Monitoring of molecular transformations with optical microresonators, Optics InfoBase Conference Papers, DOI:10.1364/ofs.2006.tud1.
- Vollmer F, Fischer P. (2006) Ring-resonator-based frequency-domain optical activity measurements of a chiral liquid, Optics Letters, volume 31, no. 4, pages 453-453, DOI:10.1364/ol.31.000453. [PDF]
- Topolancik J, Vollmer F. (2006) All-optical switching in the near infrared with bacteriorhodopsin-coated microcavities, Applied Physics Letters, volume 89, no. 18, DOI:10.1063/1.2372711. [PDF]
2005
- Guan G, Vollmer F. (2005) Polarized transmission spectra of the fiber-microsphere system, APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, volume 86, no. 12, article no. ARTN 121115, DOI:10.1063/1.1890465. [PDF]
- Arnold S, Noto M, Vollmer F. (2005) Consequences of extreme photon confinement in microcavities: I. Ultra-sensitive dedection of perturbations by bio-molecules, Frontiers of Optical Spectroscopy: Investigating Extreme Physical Conditions with Advanced Optical Techniques, volume 168, pages 337-357. [PDF]
- Noto M, Vollmer F, Keng D, Teraoka I, Arnold S. (2005) Nanolayer characterization through wavelength multiplexing of a microsphere resonator, Optics Letters, volume 30, no. 5, pages 510-510, DOI:10.1364/ol.30.000510. [PDF]
2003
- Vollmer F, Arnold S, Braun D, Teraoka I, Libchaber A. (2003) DNA detection from the shift of whispering gallery modes in multiple microspheres, BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL, volume 84, no. 2, pages 295A-295A. [PDF]
- Arnold S, Khoshsima M, Teraoka I, Holler S, Vollmer F. (2003) Shift of whispering-gallery modes in microspheres by protein adsorption, Optics Letters, volume 28, no. 4, pages 272-272, DOI:10.1364/ol.28.000272. [PDF]
- Teraoka I, Arnold S, Vollmer F. (2003) Perturbation approach to resonance shifts of whispering-gallery modes in a dielectric microsphere as a probe of a surrounding medium, Journal of the Optical Society of America B, volume 20, no. 9, pages 1937-1937, DOI:10.1364/josab.20.001937. [PDF]
- Vollmer F, Arnold S, Braun D, Teraoka I, Libchaber A. (2003) Multiplexed DNA Quantification by Spectroscopic Shift of Two Microsphere Cavities, Biophysical Journal, volume 85, no. 3, pages 1974-1979, DOI:10.1016/s0006-3495(03)74625-6. [PDF]
2002
- Vollmer F, Arnold S, Libchaber A. (2002) Novel, fiber-optic biosensor based on morphology dependent resonances in dielectric micro-spheres, BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL, volume 82, no. 1, pages 161A-162A. [PDF]
- Vollmer F, Braun D, Libchaber A, Khoshsima M, Teraoka I, Arnold S. (2002) Protein detection by optical shift of a resonant microcavity, Applied Physics Letters, volume 80, no. 21, pages 4057-4059, DOI:10.1063/1.1482797. [PDF]
1999
- Teichmann M, Wang Z, Martinez E, Tjernberg A, Zhang D, Vollmer F, Chait BT, Roeder RG. (1999) Human TATA-binding protein-related factor-2 (hTRF2) stably associates with hTFIIA in HeLa cells, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, volume 96, no. 24, pages 13720-13725, DOI:10.1073/pnas.96.24.13720. [PDF]
Further information
Personal Homepage
Molecular, Nano- and Quantum Sensors and Systems"My laboratory pioneers techniques to detect and visualise processes at the nanoscale. We do this optically, in a specific and sensitive manner, down to the level of single molecules and single atomic ions. Our sensors and spectrometers have important applications in health, nanotechnology, metrology, environment, security, and astronomy."
Medicine as well as biology increasingly rely on the use of cutting‐edge physics and engineering, in order to pursue the next generation nanomedical applications and to address fundamental questions in the life sciences. Central to this task is the study of micro- and nano systems, focusing on how engineered “intelligent” systems combined with natural ones can advance sensing, medicine, and our understanding of how biological systems work. My research addresses these important questions with state‐of‐the‐art biosensor technologies, capable of detecting single molecules and their dynamics; and resolving the kinetics of complex molecular systems on timescales ranging from few nanoseconds to several hours.
In summary, we are interested in the physics of biosensing:
biosensing, next generation biosensors
silicon photonics, biophotonics, nanophotonics, plasmonics
optofluidics, optical trapping
Anderson Localization
molecular interactions at a biosensor interface
novel materials for biosensing
novel physics for biosensing
PhD studentships and postdoc positions are available in the Vollmer Lab:
Postdoctoral positions
The project will develop chemical control at the nanoscale for single molecule sensing of molecular machines:
https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=875598O4ZX&WVID=3817591jNg&LANG=USA
we are also looking for a theorist, advert on nature careers
more PhD/postdoc job posting for mygroup on on nature careers, physics today, researchgate and exeter jobs!
Twitter: @FrankVollmerLAB
Research
I am pursuing a multi-disciplinary research initiative in Molecular, Nano- and Quantum Sensors and Systems that is unique in the UK (and the world) and that brings together the research streams of nanophotonics, nanoplasmonics, quantum optics, molecular mechanics (molecular machines, synthetic bio) and in the future, also molecular electronics and neuroscience. This new pan-disciplinary area, I believe, will be a very large and upcoming research playground at the cross-roads of cutting edge experimental and theoretical sciences; there will be applications in health, nanotechnology, metrology, environment, security, and astronomy; it touches on core subjects in physics, quantum optics, optics, biophysics, engineering, molecular mechanics and biochemistry.
Vollmerlab web page: https://www.vollmerlab.com/Review: Whispering-Gallery-Mode Sensors in Physical and Biological Sensing https://rdcu.be/cCURa
PhD studentships and postdoc positions are available in the Vollmer Lab:
Postdoctoral positions
The project will develop chemical control at the nanoscale for single molecule sensing of molecular machines:
https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=875598O4ZX&WVID=3817591jNg&LANG=USA
we are also looking for a theorist, advert on nature careers
more PhD/postdoc job posting for mygroup on on nature careers, physics today, researchgate and exeter jobs!
Observing the Motions of Nano-Machines
Have you ever wondered about how our bodies might work at the nanoscale, a scale at which we are composed of individual biomolecules? Where individual biomolecules such as enzymes take on the role of molecular machines, and where parts of a protein move like the pistons of an engine? How can one observe and analyse such intricate systems?
My research aims to address these questions. My laboratory develops optical techniques to directly visualise living machinery. We are interested in looking at biological nanomachines, such as motor proteins and enzymes, as they function and while disturbing them as little as possible.
Our micro-optical devices and spectrometers have important applications in health, environment, security, and astronomy.
With our optical sensors, processes at the nanoscale can be studied with great precision. The observation of single atomic ions is just a first step towards exploring the ultimate limits of detection. By implementing advanced metrology and techniques from laser interferometry and atomic optics, further breakthroughs in nanoscale precision measurements are anticipated. Techniques from quantum optics combined with novel materials may enable yet unexplored sensing strategies.
Taking Single-Molecule Detection to the LimitIn 2014, we built the world’s most sensitive optical device capable of detecting single-molecules without chemical alteration (1). The platform is based on optical microcavities, approximately 100 um diameter glass microspheres that are used as optical sensors. Optical resonances, so-called Whispering gallery modes (WGMs), were excited in the microspheres for the label-free detection of biomolecules(2, 3). These microsphere sensors were used to detect single DNA molecules and their interaction kinetics(1).
In 2015-2016, we further advanced these optical sensors, improved upon the detection limit and time resolution. Advanced experimental capabilities of these sensors led to the publication of seminal works, on the sensing of single atomic ions in solution(4), the detection of various single-molecule surface reactions from low to high affinity(5), and on unprecedented nanosecond time resolution for label-free single-molecule studies(6). These demonstrations consolidate our optical technique as one of the most sensitive tools for label-free single molecule studies. They establish a biosensor technology that can detect and analyse the intricate dynamics of single biomolecules. In most recent works we demonstrate such capability, with the first label-free optical technique capable of observing enzymatic interactions and associated conformational changes on the single molecule level(7).
The future of our micro-optical sensors is outlined in a recent roadmap(8). To summarize, our optical sensors can help us understand how our bodies work at the nanoscale, where individual biomolecules such as enzymes take on the role of nano-machines, and where parts of a protein move similar to the pistons of an engine. Without the need of a label, our sensors will provide a universal tool for the unabated exploration of structural dynamics and shape-changes in individual proteins. Our optical devices can furthermore harness the extreme speed, selectivity and specificity of the biological nanoworld. With further technological advances already in the pipeline, our sensors will benchmark nanoscale metrology. Those with ultimate sensitivity will provide a tool for uncovering novel physical phenoma at the nanoscale.
In a second line of experiments, we have established experiments with two-dimensional photonic crystal structures. These structures can provide optical sensing devices that are highly suitable for on-chip biosensing applications. In photonic crystals, light is confined in engineered defect cavities or by means of Anderson Localization - as we have uncovered in our previous research. Recently, we have focused on establishing a photonic crystal biosensing platform by leveraging Anderson Localization and free-space coupling with polarization-tailored beams. With such a platform, we realise various on-chip single-molecule biosensing applications.
The following sections highlight the individual research projects.
Single-Ion SensingPlasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) have been used for a wide range of applications, such as spectroscopy, high-resolution imaging, medical therapy, nonlinear optics and photocatalysis. Such widespread utility is attributable to the diverse range of NP shapes and sizes available and the corresponding tunability of their optical properties. The highly localized fields near the surface of such particles, in addition to their small mode volumes, make them especially suitable for sensing or even capable of label-free single-molecule detection.
In 2016, we have shown that the sensing capability based on plasmonic effects in nanpoarticles can be boosted with optical microcavities for detecting even the smallest chemical species in aqueous solution, single atomic ions(4), see Figure 1.We achieved single-molecule sensitivity by resonantly coupling nanorods (NRs) to optical microcavities.
This is a landmark-breakthrough in the area of optical sensing technology as the observation of single atomic species has thus far been restricted to investigations in vacuum, typically using atom traps. Our interferometric technique based on plasmon-enhanced whispering gallery mode sensors brings these investigations to the solution phase at room temperature. Our study lays the foundation for future all optical investigations of atomic processes at nanoparticle sensor surfaces in the liquid phase, such as investigation of the optical interaction of plasmons with diffusing and bonded ions, analysis of the physical chemistry of atomic processes at nanoparticle surfaces, investigations of surface potentials with single ion probes, and environmental sensing of hazardous chemicals such as mercury, In a related experiment, we have demonstrated the highly specific environmental sensing of mercury ions, using a DNA strand displacement reaction integrated with a WGM sensor(9).
Figure 1: Optical observation of single atomic ions Zn2+ and Hg2+ interacting with plasmonic nanorods in solution. The detection signal has been boosted with optical microcavities. Three different interaction regimes (a)-(c) were observed, which depend on the ionic strength of the solution. Adapted from (4).
In-Situ Observation of Single-Molecule Surface Reactions from low to high AffinityNanoparticles have become ubiquitous part of nanotechnology and progress to far more mature applications including medical therapy, drug delivery, biological sensing and imaging. The implementation of nanoparticles for such real life applications requires the development of functional surface modifications to meet the specific requirements set by the application itself. Many researcher have therefore put their efforts together to develop protocols to modify the surfaces of diverse nanomaterials. These efforts, however, are somewhat hindered as most metrologies employed to test the modifications are limited to reaction end products thus resulting in time intensive trial and error phases in the early development stages.
In 2016, we have developed a completely new approach to study surface-based interactions by utilizing WGM microcavity sensors(5). This all optical approach resolves transient as well as permanent interactions of single ligand molecules at the nanoparticle interface in situ, Figure 2. Reaction kinetics can thus be monitored over a broad range of affinities and especially under conditions where no reaction product is formed on average. This enables the real time observation and characterization of reactions during the entire procedure of a bottom-up surface modification, ranging from the deposition of ligands to the confirmation of their functionality. This technique will be a powerful tool, not only for extending the fundamental knowledge of molecular interactions occurring on nanomaterial interfaces, but also for the rapid development of new functionalization protocols.
Figure 2: Top: Illustration of surface reactions with low and high affinity. Bottom: The corresponding single-molecule WGM sensor signals. Spikes indicate a low affinity, steps indicate a high-affinity single-molecule reaction. Adapted from (5).
Nanosecond Time-Resolution for WGM SensorsCurrently, most WGM sensors operate with time resolutions of milliseconds to seconds, depending on the operational requirements, whereas these detection speeds are mostly not limited by the sensor system itself but by the method employed to read out the resonator’s spectral response. In scenarios where the swept wavelength modality is used to obtain the WGM spectra, the laser’s maximum scanning speed is the major limiting factor. In principle, the intrinsic time resolution of the system is set by the decay rate of the cavity, which is typically below one microsecond. Recent experimental works from in collaboration with S. Rosenblum et al.(6)achieved the detection of submicrosecond optomechanical vibrations of microtoroids by a cavity ring-up spectroscopy (CRUS), see Figure 3. In this system, a far-detuned (with respect to the WGM) probe laser is abruptly switched on creating a broader spectrum around the laser’s center frequency, where parts of the spectrum is coupled into the resonator. Afterwards, the probe laser reaches cw operation and is thus not coupled to the WGM any longer, while a fraction of the previously excited modes is continuously coupled out of the cavity, where it interferes with the probe laser, thus creating a ring down interferogram, from which the WGM’s lineshape and position can be obtained via Fourier transformation. This technique, therefore, is very similar to the cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS), where the decaying emission intensity is measured after the excitation laser is switched off in order to obtain the cavity lifetime. Unlike CRDS, however, CRUS provides the complete spectral information including centre frequency and linewidth of the WGM Mode (including mode split), which thus can be used for monitoring spectral shifts induced by molecules/particles.
Figure 3: Cavity ring-up spectroscopy for ultrafast sensing with optical microresonators. Adapted from (6).
Identifying a novel biomarker for apoptosis and cell deathWe have teamed-up with the Institute for Biochemistry and the University Hospital in Erlangen to investigate the response of cells to toxins using optical microcavities. The response of cells to toxins is commonly investigated using biochemical tools for detecting intracellular markers for cell death, such as caspase proteins. This requires the introduction of labels by the permeabilization or complete lysis of cells. In our study(10), we have introduced a non-invasive optical tool for monitoring a caspase protein in the extracellular medium. The tool is based on highly sensitive optical micro-devices, referred to as WGM biosensors (WGMB’s). WGMB’s were functionalized with antibodies for the specific and label-free detection of procaspase-3 released from human cells after introducing toxins. These studies provide evidence for procaspase-3 as a novel extracellular biomarker for cell death, with broad applications in cytotoxicity tests. Such tests could be administered on lab-on-chip and organ-on-chip devices, culminating to the first commercial method for non-invasive, rapid, real-time, and extracellular detection of cell death by procaspase-3 markers.
Thermal characterization of BiopolymersThe structure of biopolymers is known to change with temperature, affecting for example the activity of enzymes and the folding of proteins. We have shown that such structural change can be monitored using highly sensitive WGM optical biosensors(11). To achieve this goal, my group has devised a technique to temperature-stabilize the WGM sensor system, by adding glycerol to a WGM glass microsphere placed in an aqueous sensing environment. The temperature stabilized WGM sensor was utilized to track structural changes in biopolymers, by monitoring frequency shifts associated with optical polarizability change. Using this sensing method, structural changes in albumin protein (figure) could be resolved for only one degree in temperature variation. Such highly sensitive detection of structural change can have many important applications: in single molecule studies, for thermodynamic investigations of biological systems, and for monitoring temperature-dependent reaction kinetics.
Stand-Off Biodetection with asymmetric Microsphere CavitiesInstead of using evanescent coupling, direct excitation and detection via free-space optics, where necessary optics can be placed far-away from the sensors, seems promising alternative for WGM sensors. Separation of excitation and detection instruments from the on-chip sensors can simplify the incorporation with microfluidics and may enable in-vivo measurements. Unlike active cavities, however, the free-space coupling of passive high Q cavities is normally an extremely inefficient process. To increase the efficiency to desirable levels, an asymmetric resonator geometry is required. The coupling can then be achieved by focusing a laser beam onto the periphery of cavity where he break in its symmetry occurs, locations which also double up as directional emission points allowing efficient far field read out. We have demonstrated the use of asymmetric microspheres in aqueous medium for the detection of unspecific bulk adsorption of BSA molecules onto the cavity surface(12). In addition, we have visualized the directional emission pattern from the cavity, see Figure 4.
Figure 4: Visualization of the directional emission from an asymmetric microsphere cavity.
Photonic Crystals: Photoluminescence EnhancementsOne of the areas of intense research in the field of silicon photonics is the excitation and extraction of photoluminescence (PL). We have demonstrated optimized photonic crystal designs on Silicon on Insulator (SIO) for maximizing light extraction efficiencies supported with extensive computational predictions, see Figure 5. With near optimal design parameters for the PhCs, we reported more than 500-fold increase in PL intensity measured near the band edge of silicon at room temperature, an enhancement by an order of magnitude in respect to what has been previously reported in similar PhC structures with air holes (13). We believe that our investigation has an imperative impact in increasing the device performance of LEDs, solar cells and precision biosensors, providing very robust and generic platforms with optimized predictions.
Figure 5: Photoluminescence enhancement in photonic crystals. (a) Photonic crystal (b) disordered crystal (c) Corresponding photoluminescence spectra. Inset show the simulation results. Adapted from (13).
Photonic Crystals: Free-space Coupling with polarization-tailored BeamTwo dimensional silicon photonic crystals (2D PhC) are often the ideal structure for localizing light in micro-cavities with sub-wavelength modal volumes and quality factors of up to ~2 million. Furthermore, 2D PhCs allow dispersion engineering of waveguide modes with slow light characteristics. The PhC crystal waveguides and -cavities can be excited with a free space beam that is impinging orthogonally onto the PhC slab. This is a particularly attractive geometry for many sensing and light-routing applications.
In a very recent study(14), we have investigated this alternative method for coupling to PhC waveguide modes and for the excitation of microcavities. We have tailored the state of polarization in a near-diffraction limited spot of a focused light beam impinging orthogonally onto a PhC waveguide, Figure 6. We have characterized the efficiency of coupling for various focal electric field density distributions. In conjunction with the disorder present in PhC waveguides, we demonstrate Anderson localization, and excite Anderson-localized microcavities with Q factors ~105.
Figure 6: Excitation of PhC waveguide (PhCWG) modes with polarization-tailored beams.
REFERENCES
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