Photonics Seminar
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2026-11-19 (Thursday)
room B4.58, Pasteura 5 at 12:15 
Joanna Niedziółka-Jonsson (Instytut Chemii Fizycznej PAN)Tools for spatial organisation of silver nanowires and microdroplets of emitters towards single-molecule biochemistry
Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are 1D nanostructures with unique optical properties that enable them to act as optical antennas and plasmon waveguides. Their diameter, in the range of 100 nm, is small enough to facilitate plasmonic effects over broad spectral ranges, but their lengths of tens of micrometers make them visible using standard microscopy. Their elongated shape enables excitation of only one end of the nanowire and transfer energy along via propagating surface plasmons (SPs) to locations far from the excitation point. It can also collect energy from a molecule coupled to it. There is a trade-off between these two effects, where greater field enhancement limits the propagation of the SP whether the enhancement is achieved by using thinner nanowires or working closer to the plasmon frequency [1-3].
First, the possibility of spatially organising single nanowires using optical microscopy will be demonstrated, allowing a long nanowire to be connected to a drop of quantum dot emitters, which can then be excited by illuminating the other end of the nanowire. The QDs can also be used to transfer energy from one nanowire to the next, forming the beginning of an optical network of plasmonic wires [4,5].
Silver nanowires can be utilized to monitor enzymatic kinetics in mRNA metabolism. One can follow such a reaction by studying the optical properties of fluorescently-labelled nucleotides conjugated to high-quality AgNWs. The plasmonic effect can enhance their fluorescence signal, creating a platform for real-time monitoring of enzyme hydrolysis in the metabolism of mRNA 5’ cap analogues by examining changes in fluorescence intensity.
The research was partially financed by the OPUS 2023/49/B/ST4/01450 project of the National Science Centre (Poland).
[1] Niedziółka-Jönsson J., Maćkowski S. (2019) Materials 12, 1418.
[2] Johns P., Beane G., Yu K.i, Hartland G. V. (2017) J. Phys. Chem. C 121, 5445–5459.
[3] Buczyńska D., et al., (2020) J. Phys. Chem. C 124, 15418-15424.
[4] Bialy M., et al., J. (2025) J. Phys. Chem. C 129, 1260−1269.
[5] Bialy M., et al., J. (2025) Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 27, 346
First, the possibility of spatially organising single nanowires using optical microscopy will be demonstrated, allowing a long nanowire to be connected to a drop of quantum dot emitters, which can then be excited by illuminating the other end of the nanowire. The QDs can also be used to transfer energy from one nanowire to the next, forming the beginning of an optical network of plasmonic wires [4,5].
Silver nanowires can be utilized to monitor enzymatic kinetics in mRNA metabolism. One can follow such a reaction by studying the optical properties of fluorescently-labelled nucleotides conjugated to high-quality AgNWs. The plasmonic effect can enhance their fluorescence signal, creating a platform for real-time monitoring of enzyme hydrolysis in the metabolism of mRNA 5’ cap analogues by examining changes in fluorescence intensity.
The research was partially financed by the OPUS 2023/49/B/ST4/01450 project of the National Science Centre (Poland).
[1] Niedziółka-Jönsson J., Maćkowski S. (2019) Materials 12, 1418.
[2] Johns P., Beane G., Yu K.i, Hartland G. V. (2017) J. Phys. Chem. C 121, 5445–5459.
[3] Buczyńska D., et al., (2020) J. Phys. Chem. C 124, 15418-15424.
[4] Bialy M., et al., J. (2025) J. Phys. Chem. C 129, 1260−1269.
[5] Bialy M., et al., J. (2025) Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 27, 346
2026-11-05 (Thursday)
room B4.58, Pasteura 5 at 12:15
dr hab. Maciej Lisicki, prof. ucz. (Instytut Fizyki Teoretycznej, Katedra Fizyki Materii Skondensowanej)Under Pressure: The physics behind the perfect espresso
The sensory richness of coffee is widely recognised and arises from the complex chemistry and immersion in cultural practices of coffee preparation. In contrast, the physical complexity of espresso has received relatively less attention. The multiphase reactive flow through a dissolving, elastic porous medium remains challenging to describe. Using a controlled experimental setup based on a café-grade espresso machine, we demonstrate that the interplay between elasticity and porosity governs the long-time flow rate during espresso extraction and, consequently, the concentration of solubles in the final beverage. We propose a minimal model that captures the resulting non-linear pressure-flow relationship and develop a methodology capable of reproducing the time-dependent behaviour of the espresso brewing process. Finally, we show that dissolution dynamics play a central role in determining the temporal evolution of flow during extraction.