Protein-protein interactions within the myocardium have been investigated for over a century, and new information is being elucidated regarding the mechanisms that underlie cardiac contractions.  As such, this area of research continues to grow as scientists find novel mechanisms, proteins, and methods of analysis to investigate this process. As a faculty member at Albany State University, Dr.

An atomistic electrodynamics model, where the NPs in terms of a macroscopic homogenous dielectric constant is replaced by an atomic representation with dielectric properties depending on the local chemical environment, successfully describes the plasmonics behavior in quantum size region. By using this model, we explored the near field fluctuation and  the origin of the SERS varying with time evolution.

Coupling femtosecond pulses to the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has the potential to combine unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. Although much progress has been made, there are significant challenges that lie ahead. In this talk, I will highlight our efforts in studying the interactions between laser pulses and single molecules in the STM nanogap junction. I will also discuss the directions we are headed in to further our understanding of molecular dynamics using laser pulses. Challenges, successes and failures will be presented. 

In recent advancement of nonlinear plasmonics and metamaterials, significant near-field enhancement by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of noble metal nanostructure array plays a key role. It is important to better understand the fundamental relationship between LSPR and the induced nonlinear polarization. In this talk, we will discuss the second-order nonlinear optical properties of plasmonic gold nanocrescent array whose LSPR can be selectively excited by tuning the wavelength and polarization of incident electric field.

Asymmetric dimer nanocrescents fabricated using copper mask nanosphere template lithography elicit giant circular dichroism (CD) responses. Chiro-optical activity, commonly used to distinguish between molecular chiral enantiomers, illustrates light-matter interactions that depend dramatically on plasmonic structural characteristics. Dimer nanocrescents exhibit enhanced chiro-optical activity and switches in CD handedness relative to tilt.