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Journal of Physics D Applied Physics

A sensitive biosensor based on optical bistability in a semiconductor quantum dot-DNA nanohybrid

Jian-Bo Li, Shan Li Liang, Si Xiao, Meng‐Dong He, Linghong Liu, Jianhua Luo, Li-Qun Chen

Published Oct 29, 2018• 23 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We propose a scheme of a sensitive biosensor based on optical bistability (OB) in a biological semiconductor quantum dot (SQD)-DNA coupled nanohybrid. By plotting bistability phase diagrams within the system’s parameter space, we show that the bistable effect can be switched on or off by only tuning the pumping intensity or the detuning of the pump field from the exciton resonance. Simultaneously, we reveal that the bistability only exists in the strong SQD-DNA coupling regime. Specifically, we derive the matching relation between the excitation conditions and the coupling strength when the bistability just appears. Moreover, we demonstrate that the OB is highly sensitive to the SQD-DNA coupling strength which is strongly correlated to the length of DNA molecules and DNA concentration. This investigation may be useful for opening a new way to build optical switches and providing a novel and convenient platform to detect DNA molecules.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6463/aaec48

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Abstract We propose a scheme of a sensitive biosensor based on optical bistability (OB) in a biological semiconductor quantum dot (SQD)-DNA coupled nanohybrid. By plotting bistability phase diagrams within the system’s parameter space, we show that the bistable effect can be switched on or off by only tuning the pumping intensity or the detuning of the pump field from the exciton resonance. Simultaneously, we reveal that the bistability only exists in the strong SQD-DNA coupling regime. Specifically, we derive the matching relation between the excitation conditions and the coupling strength when the bistability just appears. Moreover, we demonstrate that the OB is highly sensitive to the SQD-DNA coupling strength which is strongly correlated to the length of DNA molecules and DNA concentration. This investigation may be useful for opening a new way to build optical switches and providing a novel and convenient platform to detect DNA molecules.
We investigate optical bistability (OB) in a hybrid system comprising a semiconductor quantum dot (SQD), a metallic nanoshell (MNS), and a cell membrane within the framework of the multipole approximation. Bistability phase diagrams plotted in the system’s parameter subspaces demonstrate that, in the weak exciton–phonon coupling regime, dynamic switching of bistable states among no-channel, single-channel, and dual-channel configurations can be achieved via precise modulation of the MNS’s dielectric shell thickness. Especially, a critical sensing threshold is identified: the absorption peak disappears and a bistable effect emerges when only 1.82% of normal cells undergo malignant transformation. Furthermore, the bistable region exhibits a gradual broadening trend with an increasing proportion of cancerous cells, yielding a quantitative and ultra-sensitive readout that underpins a highly accurate strategy for early cancer diagnosis. These findings not only deepen our fundamental understanding of bistability regulation in hybrid quantum-plasmonic systems interfaced with biological materials but also offer valuable insights for the development of next-generation optical switches and biomedical sensing platforms.
In this study, we theoretically investigate the optical bistability (OB) in hybrid triple-cavity optomechanical systems (OMSs) composed of three coupled cavities (two optical cavities and one optomechanical cavity) in the presence of semiconductor quantum dot molecules and a Kerr medium with a Kerr coefficient of χ when the optomechanical cavity is driven by a pump laser with frequency ωp and the amplitude Ep, which results in optical pressure on the movable mirror of the OMS. The dynamical equations of motion for this triple-cavity hybrid system in the steady state limit are solved using the Heisenberg-Langevin equations to achieve OB. We have demonstrated that it is possible to adjust both the width of the hysteresis loop and the switching threshold by controlling the Kerr coefficient . t is found that by properly tuning the physical parameters, the bistable thresholds of the system can be switched on and switched off, which is useful for designing and optimizing sensitive all-optical switching .
We theoretically investigate the slow- and fast-light phenomena caused by the coupling between peptide quantum dot (QD) and DNA molecules with the presence of strong pump light and weak signal light simultaneously. In this QD–DNA system, significant changes of the velocity of signal light can be observed when pump-exciton detuning and signal-exciton detuning are adjusted properly. Slow and fast signal light with little absorption can be obtained by adjusting the pump intensity when the pump field is off-resonant. It can be shown clearly that these phenomena cannot occur without the QD–DNA coupling. The scheme proposed here will lead people to know more about the optical behaviors of the QD–DNA system with the currently popular pump-probe technique.
: The coupling between DNA molecules and quantum dots can result in impressive nonlinear optical properties. In this paper, we theoretically demonstrate the significant enhancement of Kerr coefficient of signal light using optical pump-probe technique when the pump-exciton detuning is zero, and the probe-exciton detuning is adjusted properly to the frequency of DNA vibration mode. The magnitude of optical Kerr coefficient can be tuned by modifying the intensity of the pump beam. It is shown clearly that this phenomenon cannot occur without the DNA-quantum dot coupling. The present research will lead us to know more about the anomalous nonlinear optical behaviors in the hybrid DNA-quantum dot systems, which may have potential applications in the fields such as DNA detection.
The optical bistability (OB) in the quantum dot molecules with four energy levels in a unidirectional ring cavity has been investigated. The authors find that the OB behaviour in the proposed system can be controlled by the system's different parameters such as electronic cooperation parameter, Rabi frequency of the two coupling laser field, decay rate, three frequency detuning, in which the parameters sensitivity is studied. The proposed system can be used for all optical switching and logic.
We theoretically study the optical bistability assisted by multipole polarizations in a semiconductor quantum dot (SQD)/metal nanoparticle (MNP) hybrid molecule. We map out bistability phase diagrams within the parameter subspace spanned by (the pumping intensity Ipu, interparticle distance, d) under dipole and multipole approximations. It is shown that the Ipu-correlated bistable region will be broadened greatly in the strong exciton–plasmon coupling regime, and the corresponding lower (upper) bistable threshold is enlarged significantly due to multipole polarization (N = 10) in comparison to that in the dipole approximation (N = 1). However, under the same conditions, the d-correlated bistable region is shrunk at high pump intensities. Our contribution not only offers a better understanding of exciton–plasmon coupling systems but also expands the application of SQD/MNP hybrid molecules in the field of optical bistable nanodevices.