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SUMMARY:Photonics for Molecular Sensing and Spectroscopy
LOCATION:Chemistry A101
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20261022T160000
UID:2026-10-14-02-36-42@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20261014T023642
Description:Seminar Abstract:\n\nPhotonic structures offer the ability to f
 undamentally alter how light interacts with matter. I will tell several st
 ories of how these abilities can be leveraged for new ways to perform meas
 urements on single molecules. In one story\, I will show how the increased
  light-molecule interactions in high-finesse fiber Fabry-Pérot microcavit
 ies can be used to detect and hydrodynamically profile individual biomolec
 ules as small as single amino acids in a manner that is entirely label-fre
 e. Applications discussed will range from elucidating biomolecule-biomolec
 ule interactions to drug discovery to protein sequencing. In another story
 \, I will describe how use of plasmonic nanostructures called Zero Mode Wa
 veguides allows access to high concentration single-molecule fluorescence 
 microscopy\, which in turn allows the observation of never-before detected
  transient intermediates in C-C bond forming reactions in molecular organo
 metallic catalysts. In a third story\, I will discuss how new label-free s
 ingle-molecule measurements\, mass photometry\, are allowing the disruptio
 n of a decades old analytical problem\, the analysis of the molar mass dis
 tribution (MMD) of polymers. Molecule-by-molecule determination of MMD\, w
 ithout fractionation\, is possible and competitive with standard GPC/SEC. 
 In a fourth story\, I will demonstrate how optical control of spin dynamic
 s can be achieved in single molecules of 5AP\, a small molecule that break
 s Hund\\'s rule. Here\, careful selection of excitation color allows gatin
 g of the triplet state\, potentially allowing optical cycling without alte
 ration of spin state. Finally\, I will show how we are developing new fabr
 ication routes to create highly intricate\, 3D\, topologically non-trivial
  nanophotonic crystals as platforms for new forms of molecular spectroscop
 y.\n\nSpeaker bio:\nRandall Goldsmith is a Professor of Chemistry and an a
 ffiliate of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.  He co
 mpleted undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biology (2002) at Cornell U
 niversity.  He received his Ph.D at Northwestern University (2008) studyi
 ng photoinduced electron transfer under the direction of Professors Michae
 l Wasielewski and Mark Ratner\, and performed postdoctoral work at Stanfor
 d University with Professor W.E. Moerner\, where he became profoundly conv
 inced that molecules deserve to be looked at one at a time. He has been a 
 faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wiscons
 in Madison since 2011 where his research interests span single-molecule sp
 ectroscopy\, micro and nanophotonics\, chemical catalysis\, photochemistry
 \, and biophysics.  His work has recently been recognized with a Schmidt 
 Sciences Polymath\, ACS Award in Chemical Intrumentation\, and a Guggenhei
 m Fellowship.  4:00 pm
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