Project

Discipline

Nanolithography; Life Sciences; Nanomaterials; Nanooptics; Multiphoton Microscopy; Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy; Nanlithography

Lead
Lay summary
We plan to establish a rigorous new research program devoted to fundamental research in optics on the nano- and mesoscale and the development of novel microscopy and nanofabrication tools. We want to study and apply concepts and methods from fundamental optics (photon statistics, speckle fluctuations analysis, fluorescence lifetime fluctuations) to design photonic materials and develop new imaging techniques with improved performances in term of sensitivity, resolution, and specificity. Namely we plan to study the link between the local density of states (LDOS) and the scattering mean free path in a random dielectric medium. This project shall lead to a better understanding how a molecule emits light in the presence of a micro-structured environment. It will also provide design rules how to effectively manipulate photon states by nano- engineering materials. In another project we want to use photonic lattices to enhance the diffusion of nanoparticles. One of the pillars of this project is the plan to introduce the most modern microscopy techniques at the Faculty of Science at Fribourg University, namely multi-photon imaging and super-resolution microscopy. New microscopy approaches will be tested and validated in model experiments and applied to biological samples in collaboration with Biomedical researchers in Fribourg and elsewhere.

Direct link to Lay Summary

Last update: 21.02.2013

Number	Title	Start	Funding scheme

We plan to establish a rigorous new research program devoted to fundamental research in op-tics on the nano- and mesoscale and the development of novel microscopy and nanofabrication tools. We want to study and apply concepts and methods from fundamental optics (photon sta-tistics, speckle fluctuations analysis, fluorescence lifetime fluctuations) to design photonic mate-rials and develop new imaging techniques with improved performances in term of sensitivity, resolution, and specificity. Namely we plan to study the link between the local density of states (LDOS) and the scattering mean free path in a random dielectric medium. This project shall lead to a better understanding how a molecule emits light in the presence of a micro-structured envi-ronment. It will also provide design rules how to effectively manipulate photon states by nano-engineering materials. In another project we want to use photonic lattices to enhance the diffu-sion of nanoparticles. One of the pillars of this project is the plan to introduce the most modern microscopy techniques at the Faculty of Science at Fribourg University, namely multi-photon imaging and super-resolution microscopy [1, 2]. New microscopy approaches will be tested and validated in model experiments and applied to biological samples in collaboration with Biomedi-cal researchers in Fribourg and elsewhere. To realize this ambitious research plan we plan to set up a workstation for advanced microscopy and nanofabrication. Our plan is to couple a fs-laser to two inverted microscope systems on a single large optical table. The workstation design foresees the simultaneous use of a commer-cial laser scanning microscope LCSM with two-photon imaging capability and a commercial 3D nanolithography with sub-wavelength resolution.The recent creation of the new chair in „Soft Matter and Photonics“ in the Physics department (Prof. Scheffold) together with the associated laboratory and personnel resources now provide a perfect opportunity to set up such a top-level laboratory. Prof. Scheffold is also the deputy direc-tor of the Fribourg Center for Nanomaterials. The new group will be an important player in the newly shaped Faculty of Science at Fribourg University. The enlarged nano-optics and bio-imaging activity will be well embedded in the scientific landscape via a close collaboration with the medical department (Prof. Schwaller, co-applicant), the “Adolphe Merkle Institute for pure and applied Nanosciences” and the Institute of Applied Physics in Bern (via the “Light and Mat-ter project” funded by the CRUS).