T. Komatsubara

Silica-based monolithic sensing plates for waveguide-mode sensors

We developed a monolithic sensing plate for a waveguide-mode sensor. The plate consists of a SiO(2) glass substrate and a thin silicon layer the surface of which is thermally oxidized to form a SiO(2) glass waveguide. We confirmed that the sensing plate is suitable for high-sensitivity detection of molecular adsorption at the waveguide surface. In addition, a significant enhancement of the sensitivity of the sensor was achieved by perforating the waveguide with holes with diameters of a few tens of nanometers by selective etching of latent tracks created by swift heavy-ion irradiation. Possible strategies for optimizing the plate are discussed.

High sensitivity sensors made of perforated waveguides

Sensors based on surface plasmons or waveguide modes are at the focus of interest for applications in biological or environmental chemistry. Waveguide-mode spectra of 1 mum-thick pure and perforated silica films comprising isolated nanometric holes with great aspect ratio were measured before and after adhesion of streptavidin at concentrations of 500 nM. The shift of the angular position for guided modes was nine times higher in perforated films than in bulk films. Capturing of streptavidin in the nanoholes is at the origin of that largely enhanced shift in the angular position as the amplitude of the guided mode in the waveguide perfectly overlaps with the perturbation caused by the molecules. Hence, the device allows for strongly confined modes and their strong perturbation to enable ultra-sensitive sensor applications.

A γ-ray detector array for joint spectroscopy experiments at the JAERI tandem–booster facility

Abstract A compact array for γ-ray spectroscopy developed for the joint experiment at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is described. It consists of an array of 11 Compton suppressed Ge detectors, a 4π silicon detector array for charged particle measurements, a position-sensitive silicon detector for experiments on Coulomb excitation and a conversion-electron spectrometer. The details of the detectors and new experimental results obtained with the compact array are also described.

Influence of nanometric holes on the sensitivity of a waveguide-mode sensor: Label-free nanosensor for the analysis of RNA aptamer-ligand interactions

Evanescent-field-coupled (EFC) waveguide-mode sensors can be used to detect nucleic acids or proteins from the changes in the local index of refraction upon adsorption of the target molecule on a waveguide surface. We recently described an EFC waveguide-mode sensor in which nanometric holes on a waveguide film resulted in an improved sensitivity in the analysis of the interactions of biomolecules. In the present study, we have shown that sensitivity depends upon the diameter of the holes, where increase in diameter of holes increases spectral shift resulting in an improved sensitivity. Using this improved EFC waveguide-mode sensor, we could detect interactions between RNA and a small ligand, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B 12), and between RNA and a protein (human coagulation factor IXa). These two interactions were monitored on surfaces modified with biotin-streptavidin-biotin and N-(2-trifluoroethanesulfonatoethyl)- N-(methyl)triethoxysilylpropyl-3-amine, respectively.

First application of the Trojan horse method with a radioactive ion beam: Study of the 18 F(p,α)15 O reaction at astrophysical energies

Measurement of nuclear cross sections at astrophysical energies involving unstable species is one of the most challenging tasks in experimental nuclear physics. The use of indirect methods is often unavoidable in this scenario. In this paper the Trojan Horse Method is applied for the first time to a radioactive ion beam induced reaction studying the

Candidate chiral doublet bands in the odd-odd nucleus Cs 126

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Monitoring surface-assisted biomolecular assembly by means of evanescent-field-coupled waveguide-mode nanobiosensors

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High-spin states in odd-odd nuclei

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Observation of Three-Quasiparticle Doublet Bands in 123I: Possible Evidence of Chirality

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Observation of two phase transitions in the Heusler heavy fermion system CeInCu2

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