Biomolecules and nanostructures
The Optical Sciences group studies the interaction of light and matter at the nanoscale.
We do this by exploring ways to shape light and its environment. It's what we call
active and passive control. Our current focus is on the interaction of light with
biomolecules and nanostructures. We are part of Twente
University's Department of Science and Technology and member of the
MESA+ institute.
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Active control of the amplitude and phase of femtosecond light pulses allows us to create optical melodies.
Such tailored pulse shapes can be fine tuned to specific electronic and vibrational response of a molecule to control its
behavior in real time. We are pursuing applications in spectroscopy, medical diagnostics or treatment and the optimization
of solar cell materials.
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The direct (nano-)environment of a molecule influences its interaction with light. Collective (plasmon) oscillations can be excited
on structured surfaces, decay can be enhanced or delayed and light can be made to refract in extraordinary ways in the right
combination of materials. We design and create these environments, and then study the light and molecules within them.
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The creation of nanostructures, the control of fields with interferometric precision and the detection of the emission of single molecules
requires state of the art technology. We develop this technology to create the smallest structures and most sensitive detection, for the
benefit of our own research and others in the MESA+ institute.
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Newsitems
march 19 2012
FEMTO11 website online
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Jennifer Herek, Maurice Janssen and Herman Offerhaus will organise the "FEMTO11 Amsterdam conference on Femtochemistry" conference on 7-12 july 2013. The website is now online at www.femto11.com.
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march 19 2012
EU COST grant awarded to Erik Garbacik
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The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) has awarded Erik Garbacik a grant to spend one month working at the group of Dr. Julian Moger at the University of Exeter, UK on phase-resolved CARS imaging and spectroscopy of gold nanoparticles and graphene. Detailed understanding of the nonlinear optical properties of these materials has wide-ranging implications for both fundamental and applied research.
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march 6 2012
Exhibition 'de Realisten' and Optical Sciences in MESA+ Nanolab hallway
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In the framework of the SART & Science project, the artists Carel Lanters and Jan Wierda (de Realisten) collaborated with the Optical Sciences group to put up an exhibition in which one can view nanometric structures in 3D.
The structures - gold particles - are imaged by Frans Segerink using a Scanning Electron Microscope in the MESA+ Nanolab.
The exhibition is located next to the MESA+ Nanolab, at the hallway towards the Zuidhorst building.
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feb 28 2012
Jennifer Herek first Dean of the ATLAS University College
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In 2013, a new bachelors program will start at the University of Twente - the Academy of Technology and Liberal Arts & Sciences (ATLAS). ATLAS is a intensive bachelors program for highly motivated and talented students who want to develop themselves in a broad perspective and who want to be relevant for the future society.
Jennifer Herek will be the dean of this new University College. Refer to http://www.utwente.nl/bachelor/atlas/ for more information.
Jennifer Herek will keep her current position as professor of the Optical Sciences group as well
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feb 24 2012
PRL Cover article Simon Huisman
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The article "Observation of Sub-Bragg Diffraction of Waves in Crystals" of Simon Huisman et al. is published in Physical Review Letters. An artistic impression of the photonic crystal - made by T.J. Huisman - is shown on the cover of the PRL issue. This work is based on measurements that Simon did during his masters' project in the COPS group of the University of Twente.
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jan 18 2012
Poster Prize for Simon Huisman
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Simon Huisman wins the € 750 poster prize at Physics@FOM Veldhoven 2012. His poster entitled "Photonic-crystal waveguides with disorder: measurement of a band-edge tail in the density of states" impressed the jury by deep physical insights and excellent presentation. Simon Huisman conducts his research at MESA+ in close collaboration with FOM institute AMOLF and the Niels Bohr institute.
Poster Simon Huisman Physics@FOM 2012 (9.15MB)
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dec 16, 2011
PRL article Erik Garbacik
nov 25 2011
Overijssel PhD award for Martin Jurna
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Martin Jurna is awarded for his thesis Vibrational Phase Contrast CARS microscopy. The prize for the best PhD thesis of a UT promovendus was given to Martin by the Queen's commissioner Ank Bijleveld during the Dies Natalis ceremony of the University of Twente.
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nov 1 2011
Annemarie Huijser starts as an assistent professor
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We are happy to announce we that have a new assistent professor, Annemarie Huijser. Annemarie worked as Ph.D student in the Opto-electronic Materials group of the Delft University of Technology and worked as a postdoc in the Chemical Physics department of the Lund University, Sweden in the field of ultrafast photochemistry.
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march 22 2011
European Conference on Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy (ECONOS) and European CARS Workshop (ECW)
march 15 2011
Erik Garbacik wins poster prize NWO Velthoven
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Erik Garbacik has won the "Best Poster Award - 1st Prize" at the Spectroscopy and Theory section of the NWO Scientific Meeting on Chemistry, held in Veldhoven on 14-15 March 2011. It was particularly awarded for the use of a video display (iPad) integrated within the poster showing the "molecular rollercoaster".
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march 04 2011
Jennifer Herek wins prize for best lecturer
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Prof. Dr. Jennifer Herek has been chosen as the best lecturer of the Applied Physics, Twente University. The Applied Physics study association Arago organised this poll where Arago members could vote.
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januari 10, 2011
Dr. Herman Offerhaus program leader in research collaboration on water research
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The dutch research fund FOM and the centre of excellence for sustainable water technology Wetsus have signed a contract for the launch of a joint fundamental research in the field of water purification and quality control. In the coming five years, this research will
be performed in the laboratories of Wetsus, the University of Twente, the FOM institute AMOLF and the Technical University Delft. The aim is to strengthen their position as the Dutch high-tech
country in the field of water.
Together with the adjacent water molecules, particles dissolved in water form a new combined particle with new properties. Understanding how these combined particles behave is essential for the
development of new purification techniques.
In the Optical Sciences lab, non-linear spectroscopical techniques will be used to study the behaviour of these combined particles.
For more information, refer to the joint press release of FOM and Wetsus on this subject (in Dutch).
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september 15 2010
Article of Martin Jurna et al. on cover page of Analytical Chemistry
februari 04 2010
NWO "Vici" proposal of Jennifer Herek gets granted.
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The dutch research fund "Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek" (NWO) has granted the Vici proposal of Jennifer Herek.
From this subsidy, which is 1.5 Million euros maximum, 3 pHD's and a technical support engineer will be appointed to work on artificial molecules on the nanoscale.
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juli 23 2009
Martin Jurna, Jeroen Korterik, Cees Otto, Jennifer Herek and Herman Offerhaus publish in Physical Review Letters: "Vibrational Phase Contrast Microscopy by Use of Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering".
july 09 2009
Martin Jurna appears on dutch national tv in "Noorderlicht Nieuws" with his CARS microscope.
june 09 2009
Frans Segerink wins the "Mesa+ photo contest 2009", Martin Jurna gets the 3rd prize.
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Every year, the research institute Mesa+ of the University of Twente organises a photo contest in which one can submit any picture/image that is made in
the Mesa+ instutute.
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1st prize (F.B. Segerink):
"An image of a nanostructure that unfortunately did not make it.
The electron microscope image shows a piece of glasfiber which was pulled into a very sharp end (diameter < 100 nm), subsequently coated with aluminium.
With a focused ion beam machine, you can remove the coating at the very end of the fiber, so that it can be used as a nano-lightsource in a near field optical microscope.
In this case however, the producer (yours truly) obstructed this fine destination by mounting the fiber not too gentle in the dual beam machine (a combined focused ion-
and electron beam).
The image shows signs of charging by the electronbeam of uncoated areas."
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3rd prize (M. Jurna):
"An image of tissue from beef, showing in red with CARS microscopy several fat cells and in green with SHG microscopy collagen fibers"
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may 05 2009
Peter v.d. Walle, Maaike Milder, Kobus Kuipers and Jennifer Herek publish in PNAS: "Quantum control experiment reveals
solvation-induced decoherence".
april 13 2009
Martin Jurna appeared in the dutch national tv show "de Wereld draait door"
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Martin Jurna appeared in the dutch national tv show "de Wereld draait door" on april 13, 2009.
Robbert Dijkgraaf, the head of the dutch science research institute Koninklijke Academie van Nederlandse Wetenschappen (KNAW) invited Martin along with 2 other young scientific researchers in this show.
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march 11 2009
Newsitem on RTV Oost and nu.nl featuring Martin Jurna's work
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Newsitem on the regional broadcast station RTV Oost and the dutch website
www.nu.nl about the visualisation of drug release
from a pharmaceutical tablet.
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march 03 2009
Jurna et al visualises the release of a drug from a pharmaceutical tablet using Coherent Anti-Raman Scattering.
OT projects
The so called 'Optical Techniques (OT) projects' are research projects that were inherited from the period that Niek van Hulst was still the
chair of the group. At that time, Optical Sciences group was called the Optical Techniques group.
The research focus was more on near field optics and single molecule detection by means of confocal microscopes and
Near Field Scanning Microscopes (NSOM) utilizing fluorescence detection.
Research Support
Our research is being supported in part by the following organizations, to whom we are grateful:
- FOM: Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter;
- STW: Research Council for Applied Sciences;
- NanoNed: The Nanotechnology network in the Netherlands;
- NWO/CW: Foundation for Chemical Sciences.
Optical Sciences group - Department of Science & Technology University of Twente
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