Virus detector harnesses ring of light in 'whispering gallery mode'
Thursday, August 23, 2012 - 23:30
in Physics & Chemistry
By affixing nanoscale gold spheres onto a microscopic bead of glass, researchers have created a super-sensor that can detect even single samples of the smallest known viruses. The sensor uses a peculiar behavior of light known as "whispering gallery mode," named after the famous circular gallery in St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where a whisper near the wall can be heard around the gallery.