Search

The enhancement and confinement ofelectromagnetic radiation tonanometer scale have improved the performances and decreased the dimensionsof optical sources and detectors for several applications includingspectroscopy, medical applications, and quantum information. Realizationof on-chip nanofocusing devices compatible with silicon photonicsplatform adds a key functionality and provides opportunities for sensing,trapping, on-chip signal processing, and communications. Here, wediscuss the design, fabrication, and experimental demonstration oflight nanofocusing in a hybrid plasmonic–photonic nanotaperstructure. We discuss the physical mechanisms behind the operationof this device, the coupling mechanisms, and how to engineer the energytransfer from a propagating guided mode to a trapped plasmonic modeat the apex of the plasmonic nanotaper with minimal radiation loss.Optical near-field measurements and Fourier modal analysis carriedout using a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) show a tightnanofocusing of light in this structure to an extremely small spotof 0.00563(λ/(2n(rmax)))3confined in 3D and an exquisite power input conversionof 92%. Our experiments also verify the mode selectivity of the device(low transmission of a TM-like input mode and high transmission ofa TE-like input mode). A large field concentration factor (FCF) ofabout 4.9 is estimated from our NSOM measurement with a radius ofcurvature of about 20 nm at the apex of the nanotaper. The agreementbetween our theory and experimental results reveals helpful insightsabout the operation mechanism of the device, the interplay of themodes, and the gradual power transfer to the nanotaper apex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanocubes (AgNCs), 60 nm, have four extinction surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation method is used to assign the absorption and scattering peaks and also to calculate the plasmon field intensity for AgNCs. Because AgNCs have a highly symmetric cubic shape, there is a uniform distribution of the plasmon field around them, and they are thus sensitive to asymmetric dielectric perturbations. When the dielectric medium around a nanoparticle is changed anisotropically, either by placing the particle on a substrate or by coating it asymmetrically with a solvent, the plasmon field is distorted, and the plasmonic absorption and scattering spectra could shift differently. For the 60 nm AgNC, we found that the scattering resonance peak shifted more than the absorption peak. This changes the extinction bandwidth of these overlapping absorption and scattering bands, and consequently the figure of merit of the nanoparticle, as a localized SPR sensor, no longer has a constant value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planar grating diffraction analysis based on Legendre expansion of electromagnetic fields is reported. In contrast to conventional RCWA in which the solution is obtained using state variables representation of the coupled wave amplitudes; here, the solution is expanded in terms of Legendre polynomials. This approach, without facing the problem of numerical instability and inevitable round off errors, yields well-behaved algebraic equations for deriving diffraction efficiencies, and can be employed for analysis of different types of gratings. Thanks to the recursive properties of Legendre polynomials, for longitudinally inhomogeneous gratings, wherein differential equations with non-constant coefficients are encountered, it can also be used to analyze the whole structure at one stroke. Although this is the only case for which the presented approach is efficient from both aspects of stability and computation load, the presented approach is applied to different test cases, and justified by comparison of the results to those obtained using previously reported methods. The method is general, and can handle many different cases like thick gratings, non-Bragg incidence, and cases in which higher diffracted orders or evanescent orders corresponding to real eigenvalues, have to be included in the solution of the Maxwell's equations. In deriving the formulation, a rigorous approach is followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcranial electrical neuromodulation of the central nervous system is used as a non‐invasive method to induce neural and behavioral responses, yet targeted non‐invasive electrical stimulation of the brain with high spatial resolution remains elusive. This work demonstrates a focused, steerable, high‐density epicranial current stimulation (HD‐ECS) approach to evoke neural activity. Custom‐designed high‐density (HD) flexible surface electrode arrays are employed to apply high‐resolution pulsed electric currents through skull to achieve localized stimulation of the intact mouse brain. The stimulation pattern is steered in real time without physical movement of the electrodes. Steerability and focality are validated at the behavioral, physiological, and cellular levels using motor evoked potentials (MEPs), intracortical recording, and c‐fos immunostaining. Whisker movement is also demonstrated to further corroborate the selectivity and steerability. Safety characterization confirmed no significant tissue damage following repetitive stimulation. This method can be used to design novel therapeutics and implement next‐generation brain interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that significant water wave amplification is obtained in a water resonator consisting of two spatially separated patches of small-amplitude sinusoidal corrugations on an otherwise flat seabed. The corrugations reflect the incident waves according to the so-called Bragg reflection mechanism, and the distance between the two sets controls whether the trapped reflected waves experience constructive or destructive interference within the resonator. The resulting amplification or suppression is enhanced with increasing number of ripples and is most effective for specific resonator lengths and at the Bragg frequency, which is determined by the corrugation period. Our analysis draws on the analogous mechanism that occurs between two partially reflecting mirrors in optics, a phenomenon named after its discoverers Charles Fabry and Alfred Perot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the neural basis of brain function and dysfunction and designing effective therapeutics require high resolution targeted stimulation and recording of neural activity. Optical methods have been recently developed for neural stimulation as well as functional and structural imaging. These methods call for implantable devices to deliver light into the neural tissue at depth with high spatiotemporal resolution. To address this need, rigid and flexible neurophotonic implants have been recently designed. This article reviews the state-of-the-art flexible passive and active penetrating optical neural probes developed for light delivery with minimal damage to the tissue. Passive and active flexible neurophotonic implants are compared and insights about future directions are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Removal of distinct narrow-band peaks in frequency domain improves spike morphology. • Adaptive signal processing reduces electrical interference in ephys data. • Adaptive removal of electrical interference simplifies ephys data collection. Electrical interference from various sources is a common issue for experimental extracellular electrophysiology recordings collected using multi-electrode array neural recording systems. This interference deteriorates the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the raw electrophysiology signals and hampers the accuracy of data post-processing using techniques such as spike-sorting. Traditional signal processing methods to digitally remove electrical interference during post-processing include bandpass filtering to limit the signal to the relevant spectral range of the biological data, e.g., the spikes band (300 Hz - 7 kHz), targeted notch filtering to remove power line interference from standard alternating current mains electricity and common reference removal to minimize noise common to all electrodes. These methods require a priori knowledge of the frequency of the interfering signal source to address the unique electromagnetic interference environment of each experimental setup. We discuss an adaptive method for automatically removing narrow-band electrical interference through a spectral peak detection and removal (SPDR) step that can be applied during post-processing of the recorded data, based on the intuition that tall, narrowband signals localized in the signal spectrum correspond to interference, rather than the activity of neurons. A spectral peak prominence (SPP) threshold is used to detect these peaks in the frequency domain, which will then be removed via notch filtering. We applied this method to simulated waveforms and also experimental electrophysiology data collected from cerebral organoids to demonstrate its effectiveness for removing unwanted interference without significantly distorting the neural signals. We discuss that proper selection of the SPP threshold is required to avoid over-filtering, which can result in distortion of the electrophysiology data. We also compare the firing-rate activity in the filtered electrophysiology with fluorescence calcium imaging, a secondary cellular activity marker, to quantify signal distortion and provide bounds on SNR-based optimization of the SPP threshold. The adaptive filtering technique demonstrated in this paper is a powerful method that can automatically detect and remove interband interference in recorded neural signals, potentially enabling data collection in more naturalistic settings where external interference signals are difficult to eliminate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We present a novel signal processing algorithm for automated, noninvasive detection of cortical spreading depolarizations (CSDs) using electroencephalography (EEG) signals and validate the algorithm on simulated EEG signals. CSDs are waves of neurochemical changes that suppress the neuronal activity as they propagate across the brain's cortical surface. CSDs are believed to mediate secondary brain damage after brain trauma and cerebrovascular diseases like stroke. We address the following two key challenges in detecting CSDs from EEG signals: i) attenuation and loss of high spatial resolution information; and ii) cortical folds, which complicate tracking CSD waves. Methods: Our algorithm detects and tracks “wavefronts” of a CSD wave, and stitch together data across space and time to make a detection. To test our algorithm, we provide different models of CSD waves, including different widths of CSD suppressions and different patterns, and use them to simulate scalp EEG signals using head models of four subjects. Results and conclusion: Our results suggest that low-density EEG grids (40 electrodes) can detect CSD widths of 1.1 cm on average, while higher density EEG grids (340 electrodes) can detect CSD patterns as thin as 0.43 cm (less than minimum widths reported in prior works), among which single-gyrus CSDs are the hardest to detect because of their small suppression area. Significance: The proposed algorithm is a first step toward noninvasive, automated detection of CSDs, which can help in reducing secondary brain damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the systematic design, fabrication, and characterization of a multiplexed label-free lab-on-a-chip biosensor using silicon nitride (SiN) microring resonators. Sensor design is addressed through a systematic approach that enables optimizing the sensor according to the specific noise characteristics of the setup. We find that an optimal 6 dB undercoupled resonator consumes 40% less power in our platform to achieve the same limit-of-detection as the conventional designs using critically coupled resonators that have the maximum light–matter interaction. We lay out an optimization framework that enables the generalization of our method for any type of optical resonator and noise characteristics. The device is fabricated using a CMOS-compatible process, and an efficient swabbing lift-off technique is introduced for the deposition of the protective oxide layer. This technique increases the lift-off quality and yield compared to common lift-off methods based on agitation. The complete sensor system, including microfluidic flow cell and surface functionalization with glycan receptors, is tested for the multiplexed detection of Aleuria Aurantia Lectin (AAL) and Sambucus Nigra Lectin (SNA). Further analysis shows that the sensor limit of detection is 2 × 10 − 6 RIU for bulk refractive index, 1 pg/mm 2 for surface-adsorbed mass, and ∼10 pM for the glycan/lectins studied here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]