Reconstructing Sub-cellular Structure using Plasmonic Metamaterials

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

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Abstract

ABSTRACT:[unreadable] Reconstructing Sub-Cellular Structure with Plasmonic Metamaterials[unreadable] The ability to resolve intracellular structure has opened new opportunities for deciphering[unreadable] complex chemical interactions, for relating the composition and organization of organelles to[unreadable] cellular processes, and for observing the infection of cells by viruses. This project describes[unreadable] how plasmonic metamaterials can resolve sub-cellular structure in three dimensions (3D), with[unreadable] sub-diffraction resolution, and without the use of fluorescent labels. These new types of metal[unreadable] nanostructures can be integrated with standard optical microscopes. Because the light that[unreadable] emerges from a metal film perforated with a finite number of nanoholes (a patch) is periodically[unreadable] modulated in 3D, these plasmonic metamaterials can be used for determining the structure of[unreadable] thick, transparent samples like cells. Unlike in conventional optics, where lenses are situated[unreadable] far from the object, these planar metallic lens structures can be constructed directly on glass[unreadable] coverslips. Hence, higher resolution can be achieved because the light does not disperse prior[unreadable] to or after impinging on the sample. We propose to investigate two classes of plasmonic[unreadable] structures for the label-free imaging of cells: (1) gold films perforated with microscale patches[unreadable] of nanoscale holes, which can achieve 3D imaging by deconstructing interference patterns[unreadable] from structured beams of light and (2) gold pyramidal particles, which can be used to identify[unreadable] the spatial locations of specific biomarkers within cells.