In this work, we developed a planar dielectric antenna for analytes diffusing in aqueous solution. The so-called optofluidic antenna can collect more than 86% of all photons from a randomly oriented dipole-like emitter. The antenna involves a sub-micrometer water channel capped with air where the analytes are interrogated. The small dimension of the water channel in combination with the water/air interface confines the motion of the analytes, resulting in a slowing down of the translational diffusion. We characterize the photonic properties of the optofluidic antenna by investigating different dye molecules using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Moreover, we demonstrate the performance of our antenna by studying the dynamical behavior of the Holliday junction (HJ) at the single-molecule level using multiparameter fluorescence detection, which allows us to identify the HJ’s different FRET states in real-time.
The time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) technique combined with clock oscillator set by the pulsed laser provides a precise measurement of the arrival time of the detected photons with picosecond resolution for a time-scale of hours. If TCSPC is combined with other experimental techniques such as optical spectroscopy and mechanical manipulation, it is possible to coincide the detected fluorescence signal with the changes of the sample properties. High temporal resolution achieved in TCSPC (down to ps) allows us to monitor fast mechanical processes in single molecules. Here we present recent developments in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) as well as the combination of TCSPC with optical scanning microscopy and mechanical manipulation by means of an atomic-force microscope (AFM).
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