Spectroscopy Of Systems With Spatially Confined Structures

Nanometer scale physics is progressing rapidly: the top-down approach of semiconductor technology will soon encounter the scale of the bottom-up approaches of supramolecular chemistry and spatially localized excitations in ionic crystals. Advances in this area have already led to applications in optoelectronics. More may be expected. This book deals with the role of structure confinement in the spectroscopic characteristics of physical systems. It examines the fabrication, measurement and understanding of the relevant structures. It reports progress in the theory and in experimental techniques, starting with the consideration of fundamental principles and leading to the frontiers of research. The subjects dealt with include such spatially resolved structures as quantum wells, quantum wires, quantum dots, and luminescence, in both theoretical and practical terms.

Advanced spectroscopic techniques allow the probing of very small systems and very fast phenomena, conditions that can be considered "extreme" at the present status of our experimentation and knowledge. Quantum dots, nanocrystals and single molecules are examples of the former and events on the femtosecond scale examples of the latter. The purpose of this book is to examine the realm of phenomena of such extreme type and the techniques that permit their investigations. Each author has developed a coherent section of the program starting at a somewhat fundamental level and ultimately reaching the frontier of knowledge in the field in a systematic and didactic fashion. The formal lectures are complemented by additional seminars.

This volume describes an impressive array of the current photonic-related technologies being used in the investigation of biological systems. The topics include various types of microscopy (fluorescence correlation microscopy, two-photon microscopy), sensitive detection of biological molecules, nano-surgery techniques, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, nano-plasmonics, terahertz spectroscopy, and photosynthetic energy conversion. The emphasis is on the physical principles behind each technique, and on examining the advantages and limitations of each.The book begins with an overview by Paras Prasad, a leader in the field of biophotonics, of several important optical techniques currently used for studying biological systems. In the subsequent chapters these techniques are discussed in depth, providing the reader with a detailed understanding of the basic physical principles at work. An excellent treatment of terahertz spectroscopy demonstrates how photonics is being extended beyond the visible region. Recent results in the use of femtosecond lasers as a tool to porate cell walls demonstrate that the manipulation of light can be used as a tool for the study and the treatment of biological systems. The field of Bio-photonics is broad and still growing, so cannot be covered comprehensively in one volume. But here the reader will find an introduction to some of the major tools used for studying biological systems, and at the same time a detailed, first-principles treatment of the physics behind these tools.

This volume presents a considerable number of interrelated contributions dealing with the new scientific ability to shape and control matter and electromagnetic fields on a sub-wavelength scale. The topics range from the fundamental ones, such as photonic metamateriials, plasmonics and sub-wavelength resolution to the more applicative, such as detection of single molecules, tomography on a micro-chip, fluorescence spectroscopy of biological systems, coherent control of biomolecules, biosensing of single proteins, terahertz spectroscopy of nanoparticles, rare earth ion-doped nanoparticles, random lasing, and nanocoax array architecture. The various subjects bridge over the disciplines of physics, biology and chemistry, making this volume of interest to people working in these fields. The emphasis is on the principles behind each technique and on examining the full potential of each technique. The contributions that appear in this volume were presented at a NATO Advanced Study Institute that was held in Erice, Italy, 3-18 July, 2011. The pedagogical aspect of the Institute is reflected in the topics presented in this volume.

New chapters add coverage of current topics such as cavity polaritons, photonic structures, bulk semiconductors and structures of reduced dimensionality. The mathematics is kept as elementary as possible, sufficient for an intuitive understanding of the experimental results and techniques treated.

Nanospectroscopy addresses the spectroscopy of very small objects down to single molecules or atoms, or high-resolution spectroscopy performed on regions much smaller than the wavelength of light, revealing their local optical, electronic and chemical properties. This work highlights modern examples where optical nanospectroscopy is exploited in modern photonics, optical sensing, the life sciences, medicine, or state-of-the-art applications in material, chemical and biological sciences. Two-volume graduate textbook "Optical Nanospectroscopy" by the editors: Vol. 1: Fundamentals & Methods. Vol. 2: Instrumentation, Simulation & Materials.

The text features experimental investigations which use a variety of modern methods and theoretical modeling of surface structures and physicochemical processes which occur at solid surfaces. Nanomaterials and Supramolecular Structures: Physics, Chemistry, and Applications is intended for specialists experienced in the fields of Nanochemistry, Nanophysics, Surface Chemistry (and Physics), synthesis of new nanostructural functional materials and their practical applications. It will also prove useful to students, post-graduates, researchers, and lecturers.