Optics: Nanowire light source

A nanowire that functions as a light source has been developed, enabling researchers to probe nanoscale structures with high resolution. The new light source is compatible with a physiological environment and so is of interest for bio-imaging applications.
Peidong Yang and colleagues developed a source of visible light based on an inorganic nanowire made from potassium niobate, a material that has nonlinear optical properties and so can convert light from one frequency to another. They then used optical tweezers to hold the nanowire and scanned it over a sample to make images of a test structure with subwavelength resolution.
The experimental set-up requires no electrodes or conventional electronic wiring, which means that the probe can be placed close to living tissue with minimum damage to the sample. This makes it an attractive bio-imaging tool, but the technique may also find use in advanced information technology, cryptography and signal processing circuits

CONTACT
Peidong Yang (University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 510 643 1545; E-mail: p_yang@berkeley.edu