Ben-Yakar This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 04-043, category NER.
This proposal describes a research program that will explore a new method for high precision nanosurgery called plasmonic laser nanosurgery. Plasmonic laser nanosurgery is a technique that relies on large laser field enhancement in the vicinity of metal nanoparticles to ablate nanoscale structures in live cells and organisms. When the laser frequency coincides with the plasmon frequency of metal nanoparticles, the laser field is focalized by the nanoparticles acting as nanolenses. As a result, the amplified electric field in the vicinity of nanoparticles will cause nanoscale photodamage to the biological targets that these nanoparticles are attached to.
This investigation is aimed to demonstrate the viability of femtosecond laser nanosurgery (//10 resolution) beyond the diffraction limit and without relying on precise focusing of the laser beam.
