Nanoplasmon Coupled Intracellular Optical Resonance Excitation for Ultrasensitive 3D Fluorescence Cell Imaging

We have created an enhanced cell-imaging platform for 3D confocal fluorescence cell imaging where fluorescence sensitivity is amplified for more than 100 folds especially for cell membrane and cytoplasm. The observed unprecedented three-dimensional fluorescence intensity enhancement on the entire cell microstructure including cell membrane 10 mu m above the substrate surface is attributed to a novel far field enhancement mechanism, nanoplasmon coupled optical resonance excitation (CORE) mechanism which permits enhanced surface plasmon on the substrate being evanescently coupled to Whispering Gallery mode optical resonance inside the spheroidal cell membrane microcavity. Theoretical model of the hypothesis is explained using coupled mode theory. In addition, preliminary result has been provided for the observation of early stage of transfection in a cancer cell.