The invention relates to an apparatus for probing a sample comprising a light source for emitting an illuminating light beam, a birefringent element for splitting the illuminating light beam into two sheared beams, a reflective element for reflecting the two sheared beams, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the reflected beams propagate through the birefringent element for recombining the reflected beams, and a detector for detecting the recombined beam, wherein the sample is arrangeable in the optical path of the sheared beams or at the backside of a reflective surface in the optical path of the sheared beams, the reflective surface exhibiting a surface plasmon resonance or a localized surface plasmon resonance.

Provided are an apparatus and a method for infrared imaging, more particularly, an apparatus and a method for infrared imaging, which receive infrared light, emitted from a target, and output the received infrared light as an image. An infrared imaging apparatus, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, receives infrared light, emitted from a target, and outputs the received infrared light as an image. The infrared imaging apparatus includes: a reaction unit having physical properties changing in response to the received infrared light; a light source unit for generating measurement light irradiated toward the reaction unit; and an imaging unit for detecting the measurement light with the light quantity thereof changing depending on a change in the physical properties of the reaction unit and outputting the detected measurement light as an image.

A method of fabricating an array of plasmonic structures, a biosensor and a method of fabricating the biosensor. The biosensor includes: an array of plasmonic structures arranged on a base, and defining a detection surface distanced from the base; a separator arranged to separate at least a main portion of a cell from the detection surface; wherein the biosensor is arranged to detect, based on a change of an optical property of the array of plasmonic structures, in response to one or more protrusions extending from the main portion of the cell reaching the detection surface.

The disclosed technology relates to methods, apparatuses and systems for detecting molecules using surface plasmon resonance techniques, and more particularly to surface plasmon resonance techniques that employ metal nanoparticles formed on substrates. In one aspect, method of making a layer of metallic nanoparticles includes providing a liquid composition comprising a binder polymer and a solvent and at least partially immersing, into the liquid composition, an article comprising a polymeric surface, wherein the polymeric surface comprises a polymeric material and does not comprise an inorganic glass or crystalline material. The method additionally includes applying a gas phase plasma to the liquid composition to facilitate chemical reactions between the binder polymer and the polymeric material of the polymeric surface to form a binder layer on the polymeric surface of the article. The method further includes applying metallic nanoparticles onto the binder layer to form a metallic nanoparticle layer on the binder layer.

A method and apparatus for surface plasmon resonance imaging are provided for imaging the surface plasmon resonance signals caused by the interaction of biomolecules. In particular, the method and apparatus can image the slightly spectral change in a surface plasmon resonance mode by comparing the light intensities of two bands in the frequency domain of the surface plasmon.

A plasmon resonance (PR) system, instrument, and/or device and configurations thereof for measuring molecular interactions is disclosed. In some embodiments, the PR system, instrument, and/or device is a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) system, instrument, and/or device. In other embodiments, the PR system, instrument, and/or device is a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system, instrument. The PR system, instrument, and/or device may include, for example, force feedback for reliable flow cell sealing, optical feedback for reliable flow cell sealing, local thermal control of an LSPR chip (e.g., a ring Peltier, a continuous Peltier), dual displacement pumps for constant flow delivery to a microfluidic device, a dual channel LSPR sensor, and any combinations thereof.

This application is generally related to methods, apparatuses and systems for rapid, sensitive detection of biological agents. One aspect is directed to a system including an infrared optical source configured to output an optical beam at a pulse repetition rate greater than or equal to 1 MHz. The system also includes a medium configured to receive the optical beam in first and second locations of the medium, where each of the first and second locations is separated by a barrier, the first location includes a solvent, and the second location includes a biological agent in the solvent. The system also includes a detector configured to receive the outputted optical beam from the medium and detect infrared spectra therefrom.

A measurement chip including a prism, a metal film, and a capturing body is prepared. In a state in which a specimen is present on the metal film, scattered light obtained when first light which passes through the metal film and the specimen is scattered in the specimen when the first light is applied to the metal film from a prism side at a first incident angle smaller than a critical angle is detected. In a state in which a substance to be measured is captured by the capturing body and the specimen is not present on the metal film, a signal indicating an amount of the substance to be measured generated in the measurement chip when second light is applied to the metal film at a second incident angle not smaller than the critical angle from the prism side is detected. On the basis of a hematocrit value of the specimen determined from a light amount of the scattered light, a measurement value indicating the amount of the substance to be measured determined from the signal is corrected.

The present invention is to provide a diffracted light removal slit and an optical sample detection system including the same, in which diffracted light of excitation light can be reliably removed without affecting reflected light of the excitation light in a sample detection device utilizing the reflected light of the excitation light. A diffracted light removal slit is provided between a light source unit and an excitation light reflector in an optical sample detection system that emits excitation light from the light source unit and also performs predetermined measurement using reflected light of the excitation light reflected at the excitation light reflector. The diffracted light removal slit includes: a main portion provided in a direction substantially perpendicular to an optical path of the excitation light; and a sidewall portion extending from an end portion of the main portion and inclined toward an upstream side in an optical path direction of the excitation light.

This detection device has a holder and a heating unit. The holder holds a detection chip that has the following: a prism that has an incidence surface and a film-formation surface; a metal film formed on said film-formation surface; trapping bodies laid out on the surface of said metal film; and a substrate that is laid out on the surface of the metal film, and together with the metal film, forms a liquid collection section in which a liquid is collected. The heating unit heats at least one of the substrate, the prism, and the metal film either while in contact therewith or without contacting same. Also, the heating unit is positioned so as to avoid the path that excitation light takes from an excitation-light emission unit to the abovementioned incidence surface.