The molecule 'scanner'
Pitt invents the world's smallest terahertz detector
2013-08-06
(Press-News.org) PITTSBURGH—Molecules could soon be "scanned" in a fashion similar to imaging screenings at airports, thanks to a detector developed by University of Pittsburgh physicists.
The detector, featured in a recent issue of Nano Letters, may have the ability to chemically identify single molecules using terahertz radiation—a range of light far below what the eye can detect.
"Our invention allows lines to be 'written' and 'erased' much in the manner that an Etch A Sketch® toy operates," said study coauthor Jeremy Levy, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. "The only difference is that the smallest feature is a trillion times smaller than the children's toy, able to create conductive lines as narrow as two nanometers."
Terahertz radiation refers to a color range far beyond what the eye can see and is useful for identifying specific types of molecules. This type of radiation is generated and detected with the help of an ultrafast laser, a strobe light that turns on and off in less than 30 femtoseconds (a unit of time equal to 10-15 of a second). Terahertz imaging is commonly used in airport scanners, but has been hard to apply to individual molecules due to a lack of sources and detectors at those scales.
"We believe it would be possible to isolate and probe single nanostructures and even molecules—performing 'terahertz spectroscopy' at the ultimate level of a single molecule," said Levy. "Such resolution will be unprecedented and could be useful for fundamental studies as well as more practical applications."
Levy and his team are currently performing spectroscopy of molecules and nanoparticles. In the future, they hope to work with a C60, a well-known molecule within the terahertz spectrum.
The oxide materials used for this research were provided by study coauthor Chang-Beom Eom, Theodore H. Geballe Professor and Harvey D. Spangler Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering.
Additional collaborators include, from Pitt's Department of Physics and Astronomy, Research Assistant Professor Patrick Irvin, Yanjun Ma (A&S '13G), and Mengchen Huang (A&S '13). Also involved was the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Sangwoo Ryu and Chung Wung Bark.
###
The paper, "Broadband Terahertz Generation and Detection at 10 nm Scale," was published in Nano Letters, a publication produced by the American Chemical Society. The research was supported by grants from the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2013-08-06
Using infrared data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, an international team of astronomers has imaged a giant planet around the bright star GJ 504. Several times the mass of Jupiter and similar in size, the new world, dubbed GJ 504b, is the lowest-mass planet ever detected around a star like the sun using direct imaging techniques.
"If we could travel to this giant planet, we would see a world still glowing from the heat of its formation with a color reminiscent of a dark cherry blossom, a dull magenta," said Michael McElwain, a member of the discovery team at NASA's ...
2013-08-06
LA JOLLA, CA ---- Proteins are the workhorses of cells, adopting conformations that allow them to set off chemical reactions, send signals and transport materials. But when a scientist is designing a new drug, trying to visualize the processes inside cells, or probe how molecules interact with each other, they can't always find a protein that will do the job they want. Instead, they often engineer their own novel proteins to use in experiments, either from scratch or by altering existing molecules.
Engineered proteins can be drugs that turn on or off signaling pathways ...
2013-08-06
Tropical Depression Gil has been weakening for a couple of days, while Tropical Storm Henrietta appears to be strengthening in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. NOAA's GOES-15 satellite captured both storms in one image that clearly showed Henrietta was the larger storm, and NASA's Aqua satellite peered under Henrietta's clouds to reveal a developing eye.
Tropical Depression Gil is more than halfway to Hawaii from Mexico and continues to hold onto depression strength. Meanwhile, NOAA's GOES-15 satellite captured both storms in one image on Aug. 5 at 1200 UTC (8 a.m. EDT). The ...
2013-08-06
A new analysis has found that mothers who are more extroverted and less anxious are more likely to breastfeed and to continue to breastfeed than mothers who are introverted or anxious. Published early online in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the study indicates that new mothers with certain personalities may need additional support and education to help them feel confident, self assured, and knowledgeable about breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is important for the health of both mother and baby: breastfed babies have lower levels of infections and allergies and are less ...
2013-08-06
A recent study compared the differences between novice and experienced drivers using a driving simulator and modeled the difference using computational cognitive models. The method and results provide important cognitive-psychological bases for developing intelligent driver training and driving assistance systems.
The study titled "Modeling the effect of driving experience on lane keeping performance using ACT-R cognitive architecture," authored by Shi Cao, Yulin Qin, and Mowei Shen, has been published on CHINESE SCIENCE BULLETIN, 2013.
Driving experience is a critical ...
2013-08-06
People who walk to work are around 40 per cent less likely to have diabetes as those who drive, according to a new study.
Researchers at Imperial College London and University College London examined how various health indicators related to how people get to work, using data from a survey of 20,000 people across the UK.
They found that cycling, walking, and using public transport were all associated with lower risk of being overweight than driving or taking a taxi. People who walk to work were also 17% less likely than people who drive to have high blood pressure. Cyclists ...
2013-08-06
Scientists from the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Copenhagen have examined the bodies of three 500-year-old Inca children along with scientists from Bradford University in England. This has given new, detailed knowledge about the old Ince ritual 'capacocha' which also involved sacrificing humans. The results were published recently in the journal PNAS.
One of the examined mummies is the 13-year-old girl, 'The Llullaillaco Maiden', named after the 6,379 meters tall volcanic mountain, Llullaillaco, where she was found frozen close to the mountain's ...
2013-08-06
Working at a clean and prim desk may promote healthy eating, generosity, and conventionality, according to new research. But, the research also shows that a messy desk may confer its own benefits, promoting creative thinking and stimulating new ideas.
The new studies, conducted by psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs and her fellow researchers at the University of Minnesota are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
"Prior work has found that a clean setting leads people to do good things: Not engage in crime, not ...
2013-08-06
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - The scientific name of the timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, is a sign of the fear and loathing this native North American viper has inspired. But research by a team of University of Maryland biologists shows the timber rattlesnake indirectly benefits humankind by keeping Lyme disease in check. The team's findings, to be presented today in a talk at the annual conference of the Ecological Society of America, highlight the potential benefits of conserving all species – even those some people dislike.
Human cases of Lyme disease, a bacterial illness ...
2013-08-05
Upper limb function impairment is one of the most common sequelae of central nervous system injury. Conventional assessment methods cannot provide objective evaluation of patient performance and the effectiveness of therapies. The most common assessment tools are based on rating scales, which are inefficient when measuring small changes and can yield subjective bias. An objective quantification of patient performance during rehabilitation can be achieved using instruments to capture motion trajectories and specific details of task execution. Various commercial systems use ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] The molecule 'scanner'
Pitt invents the world's smallest terahertz detector
