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.

Research projects

• ERC-CZ Optical imaging of single protein dynamics
• High-fidelity fast tracking of protein motion mechanisms

Complete overview of projects

Publications

1. S. Lin, Y. He, D. Feng, M. Piliarik, X-W Chen, Optical Fingerprint of Flat Substrate Surface and Marker-Free Lateral Displacement Detection with Angstrom-Level Precision, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129 (2022), 213201, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.213201
2. Robert, H. M. L., Čičala, M., Piliarik, M., Shaping of Optical Wavefronts Using Light-Patterned Photothermal Metamaterial. Adv. Optical Mater. 2022, 2200960. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202200960
3. Jiří Červenka, Martin Šilhavík, Prabhat Kumar, Zahid Ali Zafar, Martin Míšek, Martin Čičala, Marek Piliarik, Anomalous elasticity and damping in covalently cross-linked graphene aerogels, Commun Phys 5, 27 (2022); doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-022-00806-5.
4. M. Vala, M. Piliarik, Weighing single protein complexes on the go, Nature Methods 18 (2021) 1159–1160 (News & Views); doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-021-01263-8.
5. Ł. Bujak, K. Holanová, A.G. Marin, V. Henrichs, I. Barvík, M. Braun, Z. Lánský, M. Piliarik, Fast leaps between millisecond confinements govern Ase1 diffusion along microtubules, Small Methods 2021, 2100370; doi: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smtd.202100370.

Complete overview of publications