TY - JOUR
T1 - High-throughput sensing of freely flowing particles with optomechanofluidics
AU - Han, Kewen
AU - Kim, Junhwan
AU - Bahl, Gaurav
N1 - Funding Information:
National Science Foundation (NSF) (ECCS-1408539, ECCS-1509391).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Optical Society of America.
PY - 2016/6/20
Y1 - 2016/6/20
N2 - High-Q photonic microcavity sensors have enabled the label-free measurement of nanoparticles, such as single viruses and large molecules, close to the fundamental limits of detection. However, key scientific challenges persist: (1) photons do not directly couple to mechanical parameters such as mass density, compressibility, or viscoelasticity, and (2) current techniques cannot measure all particles in a fluid sample due to the reliance on random diffusion to bring analytes to the sensing region. Here, we present a new, label-free microfluidic optomechanical sensor that addresses both challenges, enabling, for the first time, the rapid photonic sensing of the mechanical properties of freely flowing particles in a fluid. Sensing is enabled by optomechanical coupling of photons to long-range phonons that cast a near-perfect net deep inside the device. Our opto-mechano-fluidic approach enables the measurement of particle mass density, mechanical compressibility, and viscoelasticity at rates potentially exceeding 10,000 particles/second. Uniquely, we show that the sensitivity of this high-Q microcavity sensor is highest when the analytes are located furthest from the optical mode, at the center of the device, where the flow is fastest. Our results enable till-date inaccessible mechanical analysis of flowing particles at speeds comparable to commercial flow cytometry.
AB - High-Q photonic microcavity sensors have enabled the label-free measurement of nanoparticles, such as single viruses and large molecules, close to the fundamental limits of detection. However, key scientific challenges persist: (1) photons do not directly couple to mechanical parameters such as mass density, compressibility, or viscoelasticity, and (2) current techniques cannot measure all particles in a fluid sample due to the reliance on random diffusion to bring analytes to the sensing region. Here, we present a new, label-free microfluidic optomechanical sensor that addresses both challenges, enabling, for the first time, the rapid photonic sensing of the mechanical properties of freely flowing particles in a fluid. Sensing is enabled by optomechanical coupling of photons to long-range phonons that cast a near-perfect net deep inside the device. Our opto-mechano-fluidic approach enables the measurement of particle mass density, mechanical compressibility, and viscoelasticity at rates potentially exceeding 10,000 particles/second. Uniquely, we show that the sensitivity of this high-Q microcavity sensor is highest when the analytes are located furthest from the optical mode, at the center of the device, where the flow is fastest. Our results enable till-date inaccessible mechanical analysis of flowing particles at speeds comparable to commercial flow cytometry.
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U2 - 10.1364/OPTICA.3.000585
DO - 10.1364/OPTICA.3.000585
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84977119075
VL - 3
SP - 585
EP - 591
JO - Optica
JF - Optica
SN - 2334-2536
IS - 6
M1 - 260931
ER -