Objective
Proposal summary
Biophotonics is an emerging interdisciplinary field. Modern laser spectroscopic methods in combination with
microscopy open up exciting new ways to study biological objects. For biological applications, multi-photon
or non-linear spectroscopy can offer several advantages over one-photon excitation. The aim of this project
is to explore novel spectroscopic strategies based on multi-photon excitation. In order to overcome lowsignal
problems related to multi-photon spectroscopy, we will exploit plasmonics and perform multi-photon
spectroscopy in the enhanced local optical fields of gold- and silver nanostructures. I propose a combination
of three different plasmonics-enhanced two-photon spectroscopic methods for multimodal two-photon
sensing and imaging. This combination can provide information on morphological structures and function of
biological systems along with chemical information about molecular composition, structure, and interactions.
A key aspect of this new concept will be the implementation of spectroscopically multifunctional
nanosensors with plasmonic nanoparticles as basic building blocks. Following multi-photon excitation, these
sensors deliver information on their environment inferred from a set of multiple surface-enhanced
spectroscopic signatures.
The proposed research will generate fundamental knowledge about multi-photon driven processes in
enhanced local optical fields and about multi-photon interaction of light and biological matter. This might
open up entirely new directions to advance nanobiophotonics. In particular, the outcome of the research will
stimulate the new field of two-photon sensing and imaging, which has the capability to advance our
understanding of biological systems and processes. The project is expected to have broad impact and
contribute to the development of multi-photon optical sensing and multi-photon excited photophysics and
photochemistry with applications in physics, chemistry, energy technology, biotechnology and medicine.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
ERC-2010-StG_20091028
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
ERC-SG - ERC Starting GrantHost institution
10117 Berlin
Germany