Terahertz Science & Technology: Sensing Bio-Molecular Nanostructures & Photoinduces Transitions Between Metastable States
Abstract
Significant progress in experimental and computational sub-THz vibrational spectroscopy has been made in the last 2-3 years to improve the sensitivity of THz spectroscopic characterization of large biological molecules, microorganisms and structural elements for bio-molecular electronics. The correct choice of substrate, concentration of materials in solution or suspension, and material alignment at deposition permitted us to significantly enhance the intensities of modes in solid samples when using a Fourier transform spectrometer with a spectral resolution of 0.25/cm. The analysis of results indicates that the spectroscopic signatures of microorganisms originates from the combination of low frequency vibrational modes or group of modes at close frequencies within molecular components of bacterial cells/spores, with the significant contribution from the DNA. However, this spectral resolution still does not provide a sufficient level of discriminative capability. Highly resolved vibrational spectroscopy was demonstrated utilizing the CW frequency-domain spectroscopic sensor prototype developed by Vibratess for room temperature operation. Intense and narrow spectral resonances in transmission/absorption spectra of nano-samples from biological materials have been observed. Demonstrated multiple intense and specific signatures provide conditions for reliable discriminative capability using sub-THz frequency domain spectroscopy to the level of the strains of the same bacteria that was not possible before.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA580384
Entities
People
- B. Gelmont
- I. Sizov
- M. Lvovska
- T. Dorofeeva
- T. Globus
- T. Khromova
Organizations
- University of Virginia