Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have developed technology that is in fact throwing light on certain smallest particles to detect their presence — and it is developed from tiny glass bubbles.
The technology is based on a unique physical phenomenon called the “whispering gallery,” described by physicist Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt) in 1878 and named after an acoustic effect inside the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It was possible to clearly hear the whispers made at one side of the circular gallery at the opposite side. This is due to the travel of sound waves along the walls of the dome to the other side. This effect can be reproduced by light in a tiny glass sphere with a width just equal to the breadth a strand of hair, known as a Whispering Gallery Resonator (WGR).
Upon shining light into the sphere, it bounces around the inner surface again and again, forming an optical carousel. Photons that bounce along the inner surface of the tiny sphere can end up traveling for long distances, as long as 100 m at times. However, every time a photon gets bounced off the surface of the sphere, a small amount of light escapes. This leaking light forms a kind of aura around the sphere, called as an evanescent light field.
When nanoparticles enter the range of this field, its wavelength is distorted by them, thus effectively altering its color. Researchers can monitor these changes in color and use the WGRs as a sensor; earlier, different research teams used them to detect individual virus particles in solution, for instance. However, researchers at OIST’s Light-Matter Interactions Unit observed that enhancements to prior work can be made to develop even more sensitive designs. The research has been reported in the journal Optica.
![](https://www.nanoappsmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/spacer.jpg)
Image Credit: OIST
News This Week
The Silent Battle Within: How Your Organs Choose Between Mom and Dad’s Genes
Research reveals that selective expression of maternal or paternal X chromosomes varies by organ, driven by cellular competition. A new study published today (July 26) in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC [...]
Study identifies genes increasing risk of severe COVID-19
Whether or not a person becomes seriously ill with COVID-19 depends, among other things, on genetic factors. With this in mind, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in [...]
Small regions of the brain can take micro-naps while the rest of the brain is awake and vice versa
Sleep and wake: They're totally distinct states of being that define the boundaries of our daily lives. For years, scientists have measured the difference between these instinctual brain processes by observing brain waves, with [...]
Redefining Consciousness: Small Regions of the Brain Can Take Micro-Naps While the Rest of the Brain Is Awake
The study broadly reveals how fast brain waves, previously overlooked, establish fundamental patterns of sleep and wakefulness. Scientists have developed a new method to analyze sleep and wake states by detecting ultra-fast neuronal activity [...]
AI Reveals Health Secrets Through Facial Temperature Mapping
Researchers have found that different facial temperatures correlate with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure, and these can be detected using AI with thermal cameras. They highlight the potential of this technology [...]
Breakthrough in aging research: Blocking IL-11 extends lifespan and improves health in mice
In a recent study published in the journal Nature, a team of researchers used murine models and various pharmacological and genetic approaches to examine whether pro-inflammatory signaling involving interleukin (IL)-11, which activates signaling molecules such [...]
Promise for a universal influenza vaccine: Scientists validate theory using 1918 flu virus
New research led by Oregon Health & Science University reveals a promising approach to developing a universal influenza vaccine—a so-called "one and done" vaccine that confers lifetime immunity against an evolving virus. The study, [...]
New Projects Aim To Pioneer the Future of Neuroscience
One study will investigate the alterations in brain activity at the cellular level caused by psilocybin, the psychoactive substance found in “magic mushrooms.” How do neurons respond to the effects of magic mushrooms? What [...]
Leave A Comment