Plasmon-exciton interactions on single thermoresponsive platforms demonstrated by optical tweezers.

Optical and hydrodynamic-size studies on single bare thermo-responsive microspheres, and microspheres covered either with Au nanoparticles, CdSe/CdS quantum dots, or a combination of both have been performed by optical tweezers. The photothermal heating of water in the focal region boosts the shrinkage of the microspheres, an effect that is intensified in the presence of Au nanoparticles. In contrast, bigger microspheres are measured when they are covered with quantum dots. Plasmon-exciton interactions are observable in the trap in the combined Au and quantum dots hybrid systems.

Single centrosome manipulation reveals its electric charge and associated dynamic structure.

The centrosome is the major microtubule-organizing center in animal cells and consists of a pair of centrioles surrounded by a pericentriolar material. We demonstrate laser manipulation of individual early Drosophila embryo centrosomes in between two microelectrodes to reveal that it is a net negatively charged organelle with a very low isoelectric region (3.1 +/- 0.1). From this single-organelle electrophoresis, we infer an effective charge smaller than or on the order of 10(3) electrons, which corresponds to a surface-charge density significantly smaller than that of microtubules. We show, however, that the charge of the centrosome has a remarkable influence over its own structure. Specifically, we investigate the hydrodynamic behavior of the centrosome by measuring its size by both Stokes law and thermal-fluctuation spectral analysis of force. We find, on the one hand, that the hydrodynamic size of the centrosome is 60% larger than its electron microscopy diameter, and on the other hand, that this physiological expansion is produced by the electric field that drains to the centrosome, a self-effect that modulates its structural behavior via environmental pH. This methodology further proves useful for studying the action of different environmental conditions, such as the presence of Ca(2+), over the thermally induced dynamic structure of the centrosome.

Mesoscopic model for DNA G-quadruplex unfolding.

Genomes contain rare guanine-rich sequences capable of assembling into four-stranded helical structures, termed G-quadruplexes, with potential roles in gene regulation and chromosome stability. Their mechanical unfolding has only been reported to date by all-atom simulations, which cannot dissect the major physical interactions responsible for their cohesion. Here, we propose a mesoscopic model to describe both the mechanical and thermal stability of DNA G-quadruplexes, where each nucleotide of the structure, as well as each central cation located at the inner channel, is mapped onto a single bead. In this framework we are able to simulate loading rates similar to the experimental ones, which are not reachable in simulations with atomistic resolution. In this regard, we present single-molecule force-induced unfolding experiments by a high-resolution optical tweezers on a DNA telomeric sequence capable of adopting a G-quadruplex conformation. Fitting the parameters of the model to the experiments we find a correct prediction of the rupture-force kinetics and a good agreement with previous near equilibrium measurements. Since G-quadruplex unfolding dynamics is halfway in complexity between secondary nucleic acids and tertiary protein structures, our model entails a nanoscale paradigm for non-equilibrium processes in the cell.

Radiation pressure over dielectric and metallic nanocylinders on surfaces: polarization dependence and plasmon resonance conditions.

Multiple scattering calculations of the electromagnetic force and the potential energy exerted by an evanescent field on a nanometric cylinder over a dielectric interface, as well as by a propagating Gaussian beam, are carried out. These calculations constitute a model that describes the gradient, scattering, and absorption components of the force in an elongated particle. The attractive or repulsive nature of the force is strongly dependent on the polarization of the incident field for a metallic particle, whereas a dielectric particle is only weakly attracted to high-intensity regions. Excitation of plasmon resonance in a metallic particle enhances both the scattering and the absorption components of the force, whereas it diminishes the gradient-force component.

Near-field distributions of resonant modes in small dielectric objects on flat surfaces.

We report numerical simulations of the coupling of waves, either propagating or evanescent, with the eigenmodes of dielectric nanocylinders and nanospheres upon substrates. The multiple interaction of light between these objects and the dielectric surface at which the evanescent waves are created is taken into account. In this way, we present an accurate procedure for predicting and controlling the creation of large field enhancements concentrated both within and near the nanoparticle compared with the angle of incidence and the state of polarization.

Optical forces on small particles: attractive and repulsive nature and plasmon-resonance conditions.

A detailed study of time-averaged electromagnetic forces on subwavelength-sized particles is presented. An analytical decomposition of the force into gradient and scattering-plus-absorption components is carried out, on the basis of which the attractive or repulsive behavior of the force is explained. Small metallic particles are shown to experience both kinds of forces; which kind also depends on the excitation of surface plasmons. Resonances give rise to enhancements of both the scattering and the absorption forces, but the gradient force can become negligible. Also, close to resonant wavelengths, the gradient force can be maximum, while both the scattering and the absorption forces remain large. Comparisons of analytic results with rigorous calculations allow the establishment of ranges of validity of the dipolar approximation for these forces.

Fundamentals and model of photonic-force microscopy.

Exact calculations of the near-field electromagnetic force on a nanoparticle exerted by the presence of a corrugated dielectric interface are carried out. The illumination of this system excites the particle eigenmodes. The calculation is two-dimensional, so the nanoparticle is actually a nanocylinder that scans parallel to the interface. This system constitutes a model of force transduction and surface topography imaging for a photonic-force microscope with signal enhancement owing to morphological resonance excitation of the probe.