Abstract: A robust sensor, suitable for dipping into fluid wells, includes (a) a stem; (b) a whispering gallery mode (“WGM”) resonator mechanically supported by the stem; and (c) feed and pickup optical fibers optically coupled with the WGM resonator and mechanically coupled with the stem, thereby defining a stem-resonator-fiber assembly, wherein a portion of the stem-resonator-fiber assembly including the WGM resonator can fit within an imaginary cylinder having a diameter of 7 mm (or 2 mm, or even 1 mm). Such a whispering gallery mode (“WGM”) dip sensor, including (1) a stem, (2) a WGM resonator, and (3) feed and pickup optical fibers, may be made by (a) fabricating the WGM resonator and the stem from an optical fiber; (b) fabricating tapers on the feed and pickup fibers; (c) positioning tapers of the feed and pickup fibers relative to the WGM resonator such that an optical coupling between the tapers and the WGM resonator is established; and (d) mechanically coupling the stem with the feed and pickup fibers.

Abstract: An all-photonic method to cause a WGM resonator to self-tune to a given wavelength is described. Such all photonic approaches include simply superimposing intense light of a wavelength in a range different from that of a signal wave. The wavelength of the pass band for the signal wavelength can be tuned by adjusting the wavelength (and/or the intensity) of the intense light.

Abstract: A robust sensor, suitable for dipping into fluid wells, includes (a) a stem; (b) a whispering gallery mode (“WGM”) resonator mechanically supported by the stem; and (c) feed and pickup optical fibers optically coupled with the WGM resonator and mechanically coupled with the stem, thereby defining a stem-resonator-fiber assembly, wherein a portion of the stem-resonator-fiber assembly including the WGM resonator can fit within an imaginary cylinder having a diameter of 7 mm (or 2 mm, or even 1 mm). Such a whispering gallery mode (“WGM”) dip sensor, including (1) a stem, (2) a WGM resonator, and (3) feed and pickup optical fibers, may be made by (a) fabricating the WGM resonator and the stem from an optical fiber; (b) fabricating tapers on the feed and pickup fibers; (c) positioning tapers of the feed and pickup fibers relative to the WGM resonator such that an optical coupling between the tapers and the WGM resonator is established; and (d) mechanically coupling the stem with the feed and pickup fibers.

Abstract: Provided herein is a composition comprising carbon dioxide, an aqueous phase, and reverse micelles, wherein the reverse micelles comprise a metal cation-chelating agent, and a metal cation; and methods of using said composition for sequestering carbon dioxide and/or recovering hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon reservoir.

Abstract: An all-photonic method to cause a WGM resonator to self-tune to a given wavelength is described. Such all photonic approaches include simply superimposing intense light of a wavelength in a range different from that of a signal wave. The wavelength of the pass band for the signal wavelength can be tuned by adjusting the wavelength (and/or the intensity) of the intense light.

Abstract: Detecting and/or measuring a substance based on a resonance shift of photons orbiting within a microsphere of a sensor. Since the resonance of the microsphere has a large quality factor, the sensor is extremely sensitive. The sensor includes the microsphere coupled with at least one optical fiber. The surface of the microsphere includes receptors complementary to the substance. The at least one optical fiber can be provided with at least one additional microsphere having a surface free of the receptors. Resonance shifts observed in such an additional microsphere(s) can be attributed to factors unrelated to the presence of the substance. The resonance shift observed in the microsphere with the receptors can be compensated based on the resonance shift of the additional microsphere(s) to remove the influence of these other factors.

Abstract: Detecting and/or measuring a substance based on a resonance shift of photons orbiting within a microsphere of a sensor. Since the resonance of the microsphere has a large quality factor, the sensor is extremely sensitive. The sensor includes the microsphere coupled with at least one optical fiber. The surface of the microsphere includes receptors complementary to the substance. The at least one optical fiber can be provided with at least one additional microsphere having a surface free of the receptors. Resonance shifts observed in such an additional microsphere(s) can be attributed to factors unrelated to the presence of the substance. The resonance shift observed in the microsphere with the receptors can be compensated based on the resonance shift of the additional microsphere(s) to remove the influence of these other factors.

Abstract: A spectroscopic technique for high-sensitivity, label free DNA quantification uses a shift in an optical resonance (whispering gallery mode, WGM) excited in a micron-sized optical cavity (e.g., a silica sphere) to detect and measure nucleic acids. The surface of the silica sphere is chemically modified with oligonucleotides. Hybridization to the target DNA leads to a red-shift of the optical resonance wavelength. The sensitivity of this resonance technique is higher than most optical single-pass devices such as surface plasmon resonance biosensors. Each microsphere can be identified by its unique resonance wavelength. Specific, multiplexed DNA detection may be provided by using two or more microspheres. The multiplexed signal from two or more microspheres illustrates that a single nucleotide mismatch in an 11-mer oligonucleotide can be discriminated with a high signal-to-noise of 54.

Abstract: Detecting and/or measuring a substance based on a resonance shift of photons orbiting within a microsphere of a sensor. Since the resonance of the microsphere has a large quality factor, the sensor is extremely sensitive. The sensor includes the microsphere coupled with at least one optical fiber. The surface of the microsphere includes receptors complementary to the substance. The at least one optical fiber can be provided with at least one additional microsphere having a surface free of the receptors. Resonance shifts observed in such an additional microsphere(s) can be attributed to factors unrelated to the presence of the substance. The resonance shift observed in the microsphere with the receptors can be compensated based on the resonance shift of the additional microsphere(s) to remove the influence of these other factors.

Abstract: The use of whispering gallery mode (WGM) evanescent waves to detect adsorption of molecules to the surface of microsphere sensors and more particularly to the utilization of a high refractive index surface layer to increase the sensitivity thereof. The present invention examines the sensor capability of WGM in a dielectric sphere coated with a thin uniform dielectric layer of a high refractive index. Among the utilities of such a modified resonator for the sensing are to have an evanescent field of a different penetration depth without using a non-silica based microsphere or changing the laser wavelength, to further enhance the sensitivity by drawing the optical field of WGM into the coating layer, and to realize the same relative shifts for WGM of different radial modes, thus eliminating ambiguities in the measurement of a refractive index change in the surrounding medium.

Abstract: A first-order perturbation theory similar to the one widely used in quantum mechanics is developed for transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic photonic resonance modes in a dielectric microsphere. General formulas for the resonance frequency shifts in response to a small change in the exterior refractive index and its radial profile are derived. The formulas are applied to two sensor applications of the microsphere to probe the medium in which the sphere is immersed: a refractive index detector; and a refractive index profile sensor.

Abstract: Detecting and/or measuring a chemical substance, such as explosives or poison gases, using a change in a property of light passing through a microsphere of a sensor. Since the microsphere has a large quality factor, the sensor is extremely sensitive. The sensor includes the microsphere coupled with at least one optical fiber. The surface of the microsphere includes receptors complementary to the chemical substance.

Abstract: Microsphere sensors (i) having receptors selectively substantially provided at only an equator region, (ii) formed of a relative high IR material, and/or (iii) having a relatively small radius are provided with improved sensitivity. Such a microsphere sensor may be made by selectively treating an equator region of the microsphere forming a small concentrated receptor band on the high sensitivity portion of the microsphere surface. Changing the selected laser frequency applied to the microsphere sensor to a shorter wavelength also improves sensitivity. Physical properties of the microsphere sensor system: index of refraction, laser frequency, and microsphere radius may be adjusted in concert to match the target entity molecule size. These improvements in sensitivity may allow detection and/or identification of unknown target entities based on detectable step shifts observable in light modes due to the adsorption of even a single molecule as small as about 200,000 Da.

Abstract: Detecting and/or measuring a substance based on a resonance shift of photons orbiting within a microsphere of a sensor. Since the resonance of the microsphere has a large quality factor, the sensor is extremely sensitive. The sensor includes the microsphere coupled with at least one optical fiber. The surface of the microsphere includes receptors complementary to the substance. The at least one optical fiber can be provided with at least one additional microsphere having a surface free of the receptors. Resonance shifts observed in such an additional microsphere(s) can be attributed to factors unrelated to the presence of the substance. The resonance shift observed in the microsphere with the receptors can be compensated based on the resonance shift of the additional microsphere(s) to remove the influence of these other factors.

Abstract: New separation methods termed Enhanced Partitioning Fractionation (EPF) and High Osmotic Pressure Chromatography (HOPC) are described. The HOPC method involves passing large amounts of concentrated polymer solutions over porous material in a packed column. The concentration is high enough to allow for polymer chain overlap and to generate high osmotic pressures with respect to the porous material. The resulting high osmotic pressure causes increased separation of the polymer sample based on molecular size. The higher molecular weight components are concentrated in the initial fractions of eluent collected, whereas lower molecular weight components are concentrated in later fractions. The molecular weight of each fraction decreases with each successive fraction of eluent. The method is applicable to a wide variety of polymers and provides significant performance advantages to conventional preparative scale GPC.