Patent ID: 7501288
Filing Date: 2009-03-10
Classification: B01J,B82Y,C12Q,C40B,G01N,G06K,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for interrogating a field of plasmon resonant entities (PREs) and other light-scattering entities, comprising an optical light source for illuminating such a field, at each of a plurality of different illuminating light frequencies, an optical detector for measuring light intensity from individual PREs having a selected signature spectral emission characteristic and from other light-scattering entities in the field, at each of the plurality of different illuminating light frequencies, an image processor operatively connected to the detector for constructing, from signals received from the detector, values of a spectral emission characteristic of the individual PREs and other light scattering entities in the field, based on the light intensity measured at each of the different illuminating frequencies, and a computer image of the positions and values of the signature spectral emission characteristic of individual PREs and of the other light-scattering entities present in the field, discriminator means for discriminating individual PREs with a selected signature spectral characteristic from other light-scattering entities in the computer image, based on a comparison of a selected signature spectral characteristic of PREs and other light-scattering entities in the field determined over said different spectral wavelengths, and output means for displaying information about the field based on the information about the selected individual PREs.