Label-Free, Super-Resolution, Chemical Imaging Using Entangled Stokes and Anti-Stokes Photons
Abstract
Science advances with the ability to observe phenomena, whether they involve stars, atoms, or anything in between. The observational capabilities of super-resolution molecular imaging (spatial resolution of less than 10 nm, 1 nm = 10-9 m) have promised advances in chemistry, biology, and physics through the ability to study single molecules. But advances are constrained by the dependence on fluorescence-based techniques, which require extrinsic, photodegradable labels and do not provide chemical information. They reveal more about the changes in the electronic configuration of the fluorophore than its chemical bonds. We propose the development of a transformative, universally applicable method of super-resolution chemical imaging, capable of detecting single molecules. It exploits the interference of quantum mechanically entangled Stokes and anti-Stokes (SaS) photons arising from the vibrational motions of robust chemical bonds of the molecule to be imaged, directly enabling its identification and obviating laser-induced sample damage. The proposed research will demonstrate that- entangled SaS photons can be generated directly from the target molecules we wish to image; these photons can be used for quantum imaging; and most importantly, they can be used to achieve super-resolution. Our method can be applied to a wide range of systems- e.g., membrane-bound receptors mediating the inflammatory response, media for chromatographic separations; plants for biofuels. Owing to the entanglement of photon pairs, fluctuations of the refractive index in the optical path would not affect the quality of the image, thus alleviating the problem of atmospheric turbulence for satellite and aircraft ground-based imaging. Once our concept is validated for super-resolution, chemically-sensitive imaging for microscopy on the ground, it may enjoy even broader applications for chemically-sensitive remote imaging from the air.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2024
- Source ID
- FA95502310591
Entities
People
- Jacob Petrich
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Iowa State University
- United States Air Force