In human cells, a meter-long DNA is condensed inside a micrometer-sized cell nucleus. Simultaneously, the genetic code must remain accessible for its replication and transcription to functional proteins.

This thesis is a collection of experimental attempts to enhance photoluminescence of fluorescent molecules and quantum dots with single gold nanorods (GNRs) and relevant applications.

Spectroscopic studies on fluorescent single molecules in organic condensed matter does not only provide information about the molecule itself, but also its near environment. By suppression of phonon-induced broadening of spectral lines through cooling to low temperatures, small changes in the spectral…

Promotores: Prof.dr. G.W. Canters, Prof.dr. T.J. Aartsma

Single-molecule spectroscopy has become a powerful method for using organic fluorescent molecules in numerous applications.

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.A.G.J. Orrit

Single-Molecule Microscopy (SMM) techniques constitute a group of powerful imaging tools that enable researchers to study the dynamic behavior of individual molecules.

Detecting nanoscopic objects plays an important role in nanoscience in particular, in the rapidly growing field of nanobiology. The forebear to modern super-resolution microscopy for single molecule investigation, is fluorescence microscopy.

The sequence-dependence of biomolecular interactions involving nucleic acids and proteins is essential for numerous processes inside the cell. Insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms have been obtained using various biochemical and biophysical methods on two different levels — bulk and sin…

Promotor: T. Schmidt, Co-promotor: S. J.T. van Noort

This thesis revolves around the electronic spectroscopy of molecules in the laboratory and the search for the carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs).

The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to develop new methods forchallenging systems in liquid-state NMR using paramagnetic effects generated by thetwo-armed probe CLaNP-5.

Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen, Leids Instituut voor Onderzoek in de Natuurkunde (LION)

Promotores: G.W. Canters, T.J. Aartsma

In this thesis we investigated the ability of two-photon multifocal microscopy for single-molecule microscopy in live cells and organisms.

Gold nanorods are biocompatible nanoparticles that present an excellent two-photon signal that can be used to get high spatial resolution inside living cells. Gold nanorods are photostable and therefore can be followed inside cells for long time, with possible applications as trackers in live cells.

This thesis is about the study of hydrocarbons via infrared spectroscopy.

In this thesis, we describe the potential of cell mechanical phenotyping for immune cell characterization, diagnosis, drug testing, as well as treatment of disease.

This thesis describes the implementation and on-sky demonstration of high-resolution integral-field spectroscopy for extreme adaptive optics systems that are used to find and characterize exoplanets.

Early time-resolved experiments by Frauenfelder on the ensemble of the kinetic rebinding of CO to myoglobin molecules resulted in a stretched exponential relaxa-tion due to a very large spread of the reaction rates of individual molecules.

This thesis aims to improve the detection from ultra-weak single emitter by enhancing their emission properties with plasmonic nanostructures. We exploit the wet-chemically synthesized single crystalline gold nanorods (GNRs) as our basic frameworks in the whole studies, simply because of their unique…

Promotor: M.A.G.J. Orrit

This thesis focuses on the X-ray spectral analysis of merging galaxy clusters and the plasma code development for future high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy observations.

In surface science there is great effort to move from studying simple, flat model surfaces in vacuum to investigating more complex model catalysts in gas environments (in situ). This thesis gives three examples of such studies using microscopy and spectroscopy.

Schneider

More than 5,000 exoplanets have been found over the past couple of decades. These exoplanets show a tremendous diversity, ranging from scorching hot Jupiters, common super-Earths, to widely separated super-Jupiters on the planet/brown dwarf boundary.

Eiwitten in cellen visualiseren zonder invasieve technieken? Dat kan met behulp van fluorescentie. Michel Orrit, winnaar van de Spinozapremie 2017 én grondlegger van het vakgebied single molecule optics, legde op 18 januari aan de leden van het Natuurwetenschappelijk Gezelschap Leiden en andere geïnteresseerden…

Promotor: Prof.dr. H.L.V. Linnartz

Bij een belangrijke onderscheiding als de Spinozaprijs, de 'Nederlandse Nobelprijs', hoort veel aandacht in de media. Een overzicht.

Op 12 september heeft Michel Orrit zijn Spinozaprijs in ontvangst genomen uit handen van OCW staatssecretaris Sander Dekker in de Koninklijke Schouwburg in Den Haag. Met de prijs is een premie gemoeid van 2,5 miljoen euro, die vrij is te besteden aan wetenschappelijk onderzoek naar keuze, en het felbegeerde…

Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) have been detected in objects across different stages of stellar evolution.

This thesis is about cosmological inflation and its relation to observations.

Promotie

Promotor: Prof.dr. M. Ubbink

Hoe beinvloed de structuur van één enkel gen de activiteit van genen die gevoelig zijn voor hormonen?

Until the 1990s, the only known planets were those in our Solar System. Three decades later, several thousand exoplanets have been discovered orbiting stars other than the Sun, and substantial efforts have been made to explore these strange new worlds through spectroscopic analyses of their atmosphe…

In this work, we investigate the minute circular dichroism effects of single nanoparticles.To this aim, we apply photothermal imaging with a polarization-modulated heating beam.

Promotores: Prof.dr. D. Bouwmeester, Prof.dr. A. Fiore (TU Eindhoven)

Hot astrophysical plasma is ubiquitous in the Universe, from comets in our Solar system to the largest scale structures -- the cosmic web filaments. These hot plasmas, with the temperature of a few millions of degrees, are often observed in the X-ray wavelength range.

De Physicaprijs 2016 is toegekend aan Michel Orrit vanwege zijn baanbrekende werk op het gebied van één-molecuul-spectroscopie.

Promotor: Prof.dr. E.F. van Dishoeck, Prof.dr. F.F.S. van der Tak (RUG)

A single self-assembled semiconductor quantum dot in a high-finesse optical microcavity - the subject of this thesis - is an interesting quantum-mechanical system for future quantum applications. For instance, this system allows trapping of an extra electron and thus can serve as a spin quantum memory,…

Zelfs een kleine quantumcomputer zou in staat moeten zijn om de eigenschappen en het gedrag van nieuwe moleculen exact te simuleren. Dit zou de chemie naar een nieuw niveau tillen. Betere zonnepanelen, krachtiger batterijen, grote energiebesparingen in de chemische industrie: de toepassingen hebben…

Promotor: M. Ubbink, Co-promotor: G. Siegal

Curved single crystals provide variable, but well-defined surface structures.

The genetic information of all living organisms is contained in their DNA. Cells modify the degree of DNA compaction by epigenetics, which largely determines what genes are read out and which genes are transcriptionally silent.

Promotor: Thomas Hankemeier, Co-promotores: Heiko van der Linden, Paul Vulto

Dishoeck

Schneider