Nano-Optomechanics with Applications to Protein Dynamics and Terahertz Technology

我们在纳米尺度的光物质相互作用方面的专业知识和领导地位，特别是使用纳米等离子体（纳米结构金属），统一了拟议的研究计划的两个主要重点。生物：蛋白质是生命的机器。我们想要了解它们的动态生物物理学，以及这在它们的功能中是如何发挥作用的，突变是如何导致功能障碍的，最后，小分子是如何纠正功能障碍来治愈疾病的。为了做到这一点，我们正在开发新的技术，能够一次一个地观察蛋白质。我们已经向一家制药公司授权了一项关于“单个蛋白质的光学捕获”的早期技术，在这里，我们的目标是创造更强大的技术，可以探测蛋白质的振动能量景观，并回答有关它们的行为和相互作用的基本问题。***2)信息：虽然我们对数据的渴望正在增长（例如，世界上有超过60亿部手机），但数据处理行业正面临着以低能耗实现高速的“难以管理”的挑战。我们需要截然不同的方法；例如，考虑到那些自然运行速度比传统计算机时钟速度快1000倍的计算机。全光方法当然可以达到这样的太赫兹数据速率，但有效的切换需要比天然材料提供更强的非线性。在这里，我们研究了全新的和原始的设计材料，以实现强非线性响应。这些材料被设计用于利用在此背景下从未研究过的极其非线性的亚纳米尺度过程：库仑封锁（单电子封锁）和量子隧道（指数敏感）。我们将通过纳米级粒子的封锁和电致伸缩来实现调制，我们将利用等离子体将光压缩到亚纳米的间隙，从而允许信息处理设备的密集集成。***该项目旨在“生物”和“信息”领域的突破性发现。该计划建立在我们过去在纳米等离子体学方面的成功（对科学界和技术向工业转移的高影响力贡献）的基础上，但主要是由雄心勃勃的蛋白质分析和全光开关的新方法组成，如果成功，可能会改变科学和工业。

The proposed research program has two main thrusts unified by our expertise and leadership in light-matter interaction at the nanometer scale, particularly using nanoplasmonics (nanostructured metals).***1) Bio: Proteins are the machines of life. We want to understand their dynamical biophysics and how this plays a role in their function, how mutation leads to malfunction, and finally, how small molecules can correct malfunctions to cure diseases. To do this, we are developing new techniques capable of looking at proteins one-at-a-time. We have already licensed an earlier technology on "optical trapping of a single protein" to a pharmaceutical company, and here we aim to create more powerful techniques that can probe the vibrational energy landscape of proteins and answer fundamental questions about their behavior and interactions. ***2) Info: While our thirst for data is growing (e.g., more than 6 billion cell phones in the world), data processing industries are facing "unmanageable" challenges to achieve high speed with low energy consumption. Radically different approaches are required; for example, considering those that naturally operate a thousand times faster than conventional computer clock rates. All-optical approaches can certainly achieve such terahertz data rates, but efficient switching requires much stronger nonlinearities than natural materials provide. Here, we investigate entirely new and original classes of designer materials to achieve a strong nonlinear response. These materials are designed to harness extremely nonlinear sub-nanometer scale processes that have not been investigated in this context before: Coulomb blockade (single electron blocking) and quantum tunneling (exponentially sensitive). We will achieve modulation through Blockade and electrostriction of nanoscale particles, and we will squeeze light down to sub-nanometer gaps by using plasmonics, allowing for dense integration of information processing devices.***This program aims at ground-breaking discovery in the "bio" and "info" sectors. The program builds on our past successes in nanoplasmonics (with high impact contributions to the scientific community and technology transfer to industry), but is mainly made up of highly-ambitious new approaches to protein analysis and all-optical switching that could, if successful, transform both science and industry.