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Fluorescence Emission Triggered by Radioactive β decay in Optimized Hyperbolic Cavities
J Abad-Arredondo1, F J García-Vidal1,2, Q Zhang3,4
1Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada and Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
Physical Review Applied
|December 3, 2021
Summary
Radiotracers enhance in-vivo imaging using gamma decay. Hyperbolic nanocavities boost luminescence, enabling advanced nuclear-optical medical imaging with nanotracers.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Medical Imaging
- Materials Science
Background:
- Luminescence from gamma decay of radiotracers is a promising in-vivo imaging technique.
- Cerenkov radiation can be detected directly or used to excite fluorescent dyes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate luminescence enhancement from radioisotope gamma decay using hyperbolic nanocavities.
- Explore strategies for amplifying visible and infrared emission for medical imaging.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a transfer matrix approach to derive fluorescence enhancement factors.
- Employed particle swarm optimization to design layered shell geometries for nanocavities.
Main Results:
- Achieved a hundred-fold amplification in periodic hyperbolic nanocavity structures.
- Demonstrated potential for ten-thousand-fold enhancement via mode hybridization and spectral overlapping.
- Reported quasi-analytic expressions for fluorescence enhancement at the dielectric core.
Conclusions:
- Hyperbolic nanocavities significantly enhance luminescence from radiotracer gamma decay.
- This approach offers a unified strategy for utilizing gamma rays, Cerenkov luminescence, and fluorescence in nanotracer design.
- Findings support advancements in nuclear-optical medical imaging.
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