Technology news
For the latest technology news from the photonics industry go to
www.electrooptics.com/technology
novel biomedical diagnostic technique acquired by
Photon Machines
Spectroscopy specialist Photon Machines (Redmond, Washington, USA) has acquired an exclusive licence to a new protein tagging technique developed by Delaware State University (DSU). The optical technology for multiplexed protein tagging uses Photon Machines’ core laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology alongside multi-elemental nanoparticles to provide a tiny multi-element barcode that can be used to tag and identify proteins in solution. Because multiple elements can be detected with LIBS, and because particles can be composed of several elements, multi- element particle tags allow the detection of hundreds of proteins in a single sample, eliminating the need for time-consuming separation of tagged samples before detection. The technology has
applications in biomedical research and health screening, where it is faster and more efficient than the biological methods currently used. Initial research, which is ongoing at DSU, has shown ppm and ppb-level detection of several proteins, and indicates that detection of single protein particles should be possible. One focus of the DSU research group’s work has been on biomarkers for ovarian cancer.
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Laser-powered accelerator made possible through supercomputing boost
Researchers at the US Department of Energy are building a form of laser-driven particle accelerator, which may one day offer physicists an alternative to the vast conventional accelerators such as CERN’s Large Hadron Collider when carrying out high-energy experiments. The tabletop accelerator under construction by
the LOASIS programme at Berkeley National Labs is named BELLA (the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator). The system is a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator, capable of accelerating an electron beam to 10bn electron volts in a distance of just one metre; this, the researchers say, is one fifth of the energy achieved by the two-mile long linear accelerator at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Development of a laser-plasma accelerator
requires detailed simulations of its operation in three-dimensions, and until now such simulations have challenged or exceeded available computing capacity. A team of researchers led by Jean-Luc Vay of Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator and Fusion Research Division (AFRD) has perfected a ‘boosted-frame’
method, incorporating special relativity to predict what happens when a laser pulse interacts with the plasma within the accelerator. The technique has cut simulations down to just
a few hours of supercomputer time, meaning that design of such an accelerator is viable for the first time.
Laser-plasma wakefield acceleration involves sending a short laser pulse through a plasma measuring a few centimetres or more – many orders of magnitude longer than the pulse itself (or the even-shorter wavelength of its light). The laser pulse creates alternating waves of positively and negatively charged particles within the plasma, thereby setting- up intense electric fields. Bunches of free electrons surf the waves in the plasma and are thereby accelerated to high energies.
Modulated X-ray source developed for telescope calibration in space
Photonis has announced an agreement with the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) to create a new type of X-ray source for the calibration of a new spectrometer on the Japanese ASTRO-H telescope, scheduled to be launched in 2014. The telescope is designed to observe cosmic X-rays from supernovas, black holes and galaxy clusters. Photonis is designing 21 units for the modulated X-ray source (MXS), an integral component of the mission. The ASTRO-H telescope will use
cosmic X-ray observations to study collapsing material in the vicinity
ELEctro optics l MAY 2011
of high-energy space events, such as black holes and supernova explosions. The telescope will also provide maps and accurate spectra profiles of galaxies and supernova remains. The soft X-ray spectrometer will be built by the Japanese space agency in collaboration with NASA/GSFC, with contributions from agencies in Europe. High-intensity cosmic X-rays
can overload the sensitive detector in the spectrometer, and micro- meteorites could potentially
damage the detector. The soft X-ray spectrometer (SXS) is therefore being designed with a filter wheel that can modulate the intensity of the X-rays reaching the spectrometer, enhancing the quality of the observations. The filters will also be used to protect the spectrometer against micro-meteorite impacts. The unique energy-separating
capacity of the spectrometer requires a continuous correction for small fluctuations in the instrument’s energy scale in order to remain calibrated.
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