2009 Undergraduate Researchers
- Iuri Gagnidze
Steele Research Group
This project will work towards using surface plasmons (SPs) excited on gold wire gratings to enhance the yield from fluorescent molecules. Surface plasmons are coupled electron and electromagnetic waves that propagate along a metal-dielectric interface. SPs can enhance fluorescence by amplifying the electromagnetic near field that excites the fluorophore and by providing additional decay channels, thereby changing the radiative decay rate. For this project, gold wire nanogratings with a period of 1667 nm will be fabricated using microcontact printing. The surface plasmon resonance of these gratings can be tuned, overlapping the absorption and emission wavelengths of several red and orange fluorophores. It is currently unclear if the best enhancement comes from the surface plasmon resonance overlapping the emission or the excitation spectrum. The ability to tune the SP wavelength through both the absorption and emission wavelength of the fluorophores on a single substrate will give greater insight to how SP enhance fluorescence and how to maximize the fluorescence enhancement for biosensing applications.
Qualifications of successful applicants
Students wishing to work in my lab should have completed either PHYS 1310 or PHYS 1312 and Calc 2 or Calc B. Preference will be given to students who have also completed General Chemistry.
