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2.S983: Photonic Biosensors
Bio(chemical) sensors play an outsized role in medical care, biological research, drug development, national security, and environmental monitoring, as exemplified by the current need for SARS-CoV-2 virus detection. Photonic biosensors use optical and plasmonic resonances to amplify biological signals associated with biological or chemical markers, and offer high-sensitivity detection, real-time readout, and scalable low-cost fabrication. The course will outline underlying physical and engineering principles that are used in photonic sensors to detect DNA molecules, proteins, and atmospheric/marine pollutants. These include fundamentals of light trapping and guiding, surface-polariton-mediated electromagnetic field enhancement, sensor surface functionalization, linear and non-linear light-matter interactions, refractometric sensing, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy. The students will study and analyze commercial photonic biosensor systems, and will design novel sensor configurations in the context of SARS-CoV-2 virus detection and microplastic pollution monitoring. The students will also learn and practice the general principles of data sampling, statistical analysis and presentation of data acquired by biosensors.