MRI-R2: Nano Photonic Imaging System

0960331 bouwmeesteru。摘要：该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。一个快速发展的研究领域涉及纳米到微米尺度结构的光学成像新技术的发展，例如具有集成功能元件的生物分子，半导体光电器件和细胞。研究小组建议开发一种能够在几十纳米尺度上解析结构的非常规光学仪器，通过使用特殊的相关光态（如纠缠双光子态），结合具有纳米分辨率扫描能力的超稳定光学平台和最近开发的信号处理算法。为了探测声子诱导的脱相最小时发生的特殊光-物质相互作用，该系统被设计在低温和环境温度下运行。这种纳米光子学成像系统的宽波长范围将使研究从半导体纳米器件到DNA支架到活细胞的结构成为可能。研究团队由量子光学、高分辨率光学成像和高速图像处理、超低振动和低温运行、生物系统设计等关键技术领域的专家组成。摘要：该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏与再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。寻找利用光来探测越来越小的结构的方法，小到几十纳米（nm）大小的新兴合成DNA结构和细胞内的分子机器，对当前和未来的科学、技术和医学发展具有巨大的重要性。由于传统的光学显微镜无法看到小于几百纳米的结构，今天大多数亚微米成像都是使用非光学、原子力和电子显微镜完成的，这可能会破坏或模糊细胞和纳米器件内的微妙结构。为了实现高分辨率以及光提供的温和、非侵入性成像，科学团队建议建造一种新型光学仪器。它的特点是利用非常特殊的光的量子相关状态，结合高稳定性的扫描方法和先进的数据处理算法，大大提高了分辨率，只有几十纳米。为了能够对大范围的纳米级系统进行成像，该仪器将在大范围的光波长下工作，既可以在室温下工作，也可以在更低的温度下工作，以防止热搅拌降低光在最微小的分子尺度结构上的特殊量子效应。该研究团队在光谱技术、量子光学和低温技术方面拥有适当的专业知识，可以成功开发这种先进的纳米光子、可变温度成像仪器。

0960331BouwmeesterU. of California-Santa BarbaraTECHNICAL ABSTRACT: This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). A rapidly expanding field of research concerns the development of new techniques for optical imaging of nanometer to micron scale structures, such as biological molecules with integrated functional elements, semiconductor optoelectronic devices and cells. The investigator team proposes to develop an unconventional optical instrument capable of resolving structures on the scale of a few tens of nanometers, by using special correlated states of light (such as entangled two-photon states) in combination with an ultra stable optical platform with nanometer resolution scanning capabilities and recently-developed signal processing algorithms. In order to probe the special light-matter interactions that occur when phonon-induced dephasing is minimal, the system is designed to operate at cryogenic as well as ambient temperatures. The wide wavelength range of this nano-photonics imaging system would enable investigation of structures ranging from semiconductor nanodevices to DNA scaffolds to living cells. The research team consists of experts in the key technological aspects: quantum optics, high resolution optical imaging and high speed image processing, ultra-low vibration and low-temperature operation, and biological system design.LAYMAN ABSTRACT: This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Finding ways to use light to probe smaller and smaller structures, down to the tens of nanometer (nm) sizes of emerging synthetic DNA structures and the molecular machines within cells, is of enormous importance for current and future developments in science, technology, and medicine. Because traditional light microscopes can't see structures smaller than a few hundreds of nm, most of today's sub-micron imaging is done using non-optical, atomic force and electron microscopes, which can damage or obscure delicate structures within cells and nanodevices. To achieve high resolution together with the gentle, non-invasive imaging provided by light, the scientific team proposes to build a new type of optical instrument. The features that offer greatly improved resolution, of just a few tens of nm, are use of very special quantum-correlated states of light combined with high stability scanning methods and advanced data processing algorithms. To enable imaging of a wide range of nanoscale systems, the instrument will operate over a large range of light wavelengths, both at room temperature and at the much colder temperatures needed to prevent thermal agitation from degrading special quantum effects of the light on the tiniest, molecular-scale structures. The research team has the appropriate expertise in spectroscopic techniques, quantum optics and cryogenics techniques to be successful in developing this advanced nano-photonic, variable-temperature imaging instrument.