Abstract
Here, we investigate the mechanism of a random-lasing-based sensor which shows pH sensitivity exceeding by 2 orders of magnitude that of a conventional fluorescence sensor. We explain the sensing mechanism as related to gain modifications and lasing-threshold nonlinearities. A dispersive diffusive lasing theory matches the experimental results well, and it allows us to predict the optimal sensing conditions and a maximal sensitivity as large as 200 times that of an identical fluorescence-based sensor. The lack of complex alignment and the high sensitivity make this mechanism promising for future biosensing applications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 034005 |
| Journal | Physical Review Applied |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Mar 2017 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The research leading to these results has received funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), from the European Union, from the Leverhulme Trust and from the Royal Society. F.G.O. would like to acknowledge the Office of Naval Research for support of this work (Grant No. N00014-13-1-0596).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 authors. Published by the American Physical Society.
Funding
The research leading to these results has received funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), from the European Union, from the Leverhulme Trust and from the Royal Society. F.G.O. would like to acknowledge the Office of Naval Research for support of this work (Grant No. N00014-13-1-0596).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy