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Title: Optical Frequency Comb in a Biological Environment
Abstract:
The ability to detect individual molecules without labels or capture probes is a significant goal in medical and scientific research. Frequency-locked microtoroid optical resonators have shown potential for label-free single-molecule detection, but currently require prior knowledge of the target molecule and surface functionalization of the cavity. On the other hand, microresonator-based optical frequency combs can provide spectral information on molecules, but generating them in aqueous biological sensing environments has been challenging.
In this study, a novel approach is proposed to achieve single-molecule spectroscopy by generating frequency combs in water and air at visible wavelengths using microtoroid optical resonators. By leveraging the interaction between different transverse mode families, local anomalous dispersion is achieved within the overall normal dispersion region of the resonator, while maintaining the advantages of high quality (Q) factors and small mode volumes for biosensing. This approach eliminates the need for labels or capture probes, and has the potential to enable simultaneous detection and identification of single molecules in both air and liquid at any wavelength, reducing experimental costs and time. Finally, technical challenges associated with this demonstration are discussed along with numerical solutions to overcome them.
Overall, this study paves the way for label-free single-molecule spectroscopy in aqueous environments using microtoroid resonators, with potential applications in biomedical and scientific fields. The generated optical frequency combs provide valuable information for molecular identification and analysis without the need for additional surface functionalization or capture probes. Further research is needed to explore the full potential of this approach in diverse sensing environments and applications.
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