• Advanced Photonics
  • Vol. 3, Issue 1, 016003 (2021)
Zhen Qiao1, Xuerui Gong1, Peng Guan2, Zhiyi Yuan1, Shilun Feng3, Yiyu Zhang1, Munho Kim1, Guo-En Chang4, and Yu-Cheng Chen1、5、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1Nanyang Technological University, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Singapore
  • 2Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai, China
  • 3Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Shanghai, China
  • 4Taiwan Chung Cheng University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Minhsiung, Chiayi, China
  • 5Nanyang Technological University, School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Singapore
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    DOI: 10.1117/1.AP.3.1.016003 Cite this Article Set citation alerts
    Zhen Qiao, Xuerui Gong, Peng Guan, Zhiyi Yuan, Shilun Feng, Yiyu Zhang, Munho Kim, Guo-En Chang, Yu-Cheng Chen. Lasing action in microdroplets modulated by interfacial molecular forces[J]. Advanced Photonics, 2021, 3(1): 016003 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Liquid droplets offer a great number of opportunities in biochemical and physical research studies in which droplet-based microlasers have come into play over the past decade. While the recent emergence of droplet lasers has demonstrated their powerful capabilities in amplifying subtle molecular changes inside the cavity, the optical interactions between droplet resonators and an interface remain unclear. We revealed the underlying mechanism of droplet lasers when interacting with a droplet–solid interface and explored its correlation with intermolecular forces. A vertically oriented oscillation mode—arc-like mode—was discovered, where the number of lasing modes and their Q-factors increase with the strength of interfacial hydrophobicity. Both experimental and theoretical results demonstrated that hydrophobicity characterized by contact angle and interfacial tension plays a significant role in the geometry of droplet cavity and laser mode characteristics. Finally, we demonstrated how tiny forces induced by proteins and peptides could strongly modulate the lasing output in droplet resonators. Our findings illustrate the potential of exploiting optical resonators to amplify intermolecular force changes, providing comprehensive insights into lasing actions modulated by interfaces and applications in biophysics.
    L=2n[(N/21)l+2h]=[Nsin(π/N)2cosαsinα]nD(N22Nπ=β<α),(1)

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    FSR=c/L=c·sinα[Nsin(π/N)2cosα]nD(N22Nπ=β<α),(2)

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    Zhen Qiao, Xuerui Gong, Peng Guan, Zhiyi Yuan, Shilun Feng, Yiyu Zhang, Munho Kim, Guo-En Chang, Yu-Cheng Chen. Lasing action in microdroplets modulated by interfacial molecular forces[J]. Advanced Photonics, 2021, 3(1): 016003
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