Dark Excitons

Excitons are electrically neutral excited states of a material consisting of a bound state of an electron and a hole.  Prof. Jay Kikkawa explores previously unseen "dark exciton" states in carbon nanotubes and shows their dependence on geometry of the nanotube.

 

Dark Energy Survey Camera

The focal plane of the DEcam - the camera for the Dark Energy Survey.

Bio-optics and bio-optical materials

Prof. Alison Sweeney and her colleagues believe that the reflective structures in giant clams help them grow algae. The clams use sub-wavelength structures formed from a protein called reflectin to optimize the photosynthesis of the algae living in the clam tissues.

Bioluminescence

Professor Alison Sweeney studies bio-optical properties of cephalopods and the cellular and biochemical mechanisms of dynamic camouflage.

 

Proteins on Carbon Nanotubes

The image shows an example of peptides that assemble into a tubular structure surrouding single-walled carbon nanotubes.  The geometrically defined, virus-like coating created by these peptides converts the smooth surfaces of carbon nanotubes into highly textured assemblies with long-scale order, capable of directing the assembly of gold nanoparticles into helical arrays along the nanotube axis.

 

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