WGM-Based Platform For Biochemical Sensing

Figure: Micro bottle resonator, showing the intensity profile of WGM mode along the propagation direction

Ref.: Phys. Rev. Lett.,Pöllinger, M., O’Shea, D., Warken, F. & Rauschenbeutel, A. Ultrahigh-Q Tunable Whispering-Gallery-Mode Microresonator. ,103, 053901,2009

IIT Madras Team: Prem Bisht, Balaji Srinivasan, B.N. Shivananju

The goal is to achieve single molecule-level sensing using whispering gallery modes

Indian Collaborators: S. Asokan (IISc, Bangalore)

Prof. S. Asokan, Dept. of Instrumentation & Applied Physics, Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore)

Prof. Asokan research interests include in development of newer techniques for monitoring strains using fibre optic sensors, addressing the important need of developing integrated systems for structural health monitoring of aircrafts, ships etc. His group is also involved in the development of fibre optic sensor systems for underwater applications including tsunami sensing. Past research activities include glass science and technology and instrumentation, various aspects of chalcogenide glassy semiconductors, high pressure systems for electrical studies, photo-acoustic, photo-pyroelectric and photo-thermal deflection systems for the measurement of optical and thermal properties, microwave histo-processor for pathological investigations etc.

International Collaborators: John Canning, Univ of Technology Sydney, Senthil Ganapathy, Univ of Southampton, Ravinder K Jain, Univ of New Mexico, Stephen Arnold, New York University, Surendra Singh, Univ of Arkansas.

John Canning, Univ of Technology Sydney (Australia)

Prof John Canning, Head, interdisciplinary Photonics Laboratories (iPL), associated with the School of Electrical & Data Engineering University of Technology, Sydney. He is an adjunct professor at the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, University of NSW, an Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney, and has co-founded several companies as well as helped to develop the technology of several others. He is a Fellow of SPIE and OSA and has been an Expert Member of the University of Sydney’s Latin Regional Advisory Committee and an Advisor to the China and India activities of the University.

Dr. Senthil Ganapathy, Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton (UK)

Dr. Senthil's group has demonstrated the first integrated microsphere laser supported by an EPSRC project. The microbottle resonators are used in this proposal, which was first experimentally demonstrated in 2009 by the investigators (cited ~100 times).

Prof. Ravinder K Jain, Professor, Department of Physics & EECE, University of New Mexico

Prof. Jain is an expert in plasmonic quantum dots, mid-infrared Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) microspheres for sensing applications, and low-bend loss fibers for high power fiber lasers. He is a Fellow of OSA/IEEE/SPIE/APS.

Prof. Stephen Arnold, New York University (US)

Prof. Stephen Arnold is a Professor of Physics and Chemical Engineering and the Thomas Potts Professor of Physics at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. He is also an Othmer-Potts Senior Faculty Fellow. The focus of Arnold's research is developing ultra-sensitive bio-sensors and detection of single bio-nano particles from virus down to single protein molecules, using Whispering-gallery wave bio-sensors.

Prof. Surendra Singh, Univ of Arkansas (US)

Professor Singh joined the University of Arkansas in 1982, after completing his dissertation under Professor Leonard Mandel. Although primarily an experimentalist, he is equally apt at theory. He has done extensive work on quantum and classical noise in lasers, and nonlinear and quantum optics. In addition to continuing his research in these areas, he is exploring applications of optics to the study of nanoparticles and biopolymers.