Nano Optics

Focus

The newly established Nano Optics group focuses on advancing the knowledge of light-matter interactions below the diffraction limit of light as well as development of novel experimental methods that address current topics in biology, biophysics, and biochemistry. Although we employ a wide range of procedures, our investigative toolbox is mainly comprised of single-particle and single-molecule optical techniques. In particular, approaches such as light microscopy, laser spectroscopy, quantum optics, near-field optics, and plasmonics are combined with chemical and bioanalytical methods and biotechnologies to achieve a robust array of exciting projects.

Relevant publications

1. K. Holanová, M. Vala, M. Piliarik, Optical imaging and localization of prospective scattering labels smaller than a single protein, Optics and Laser Technology 109 (2019) 323.
2. M.P. McDonald, A. Gemeinhardt, K. König, M. Piliarik, S. Schaffer, S. Völkl, M. Aigner, A. Mackensen, V. Sandoghdar, Visualizing Single-Cell Secretion Dynamics with Single-Protein Sensitivity, Nano Letters 18 (2018) 513.
3. Łukasz Bujak, Kaishi Narushima, Dharmendar Kumar Sharma, Shuzo Hirata, and Martin Vacha, Plasmon Enhancement of Triplet Exciton Diffusion Revealed by Nanoscale Imaging of Photochemical Fluorescence Upconversion, J. Phys. Chem. C, 121 (2017) 25479
4. S. Spindler, J. Ehrig, K. Koenig, T. Nowak, M. Piliarik, H. Stein, R. Taylor, E. Garanger, S. Lecommandoux, I. Alves, V. Sandoghdar, Visualization of lipids and proteins at high spatial and temporal resolution via interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 49 (2016) 349601.
5. M. Piliarik, V. Sandoghdar, Direct optical sensing of single unlabeled proteins and super-resolution imaging of their binding sites. Nature Communications 5 (2014) 4495.