U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Physical Measurement Laboratory /Applied Physics Division

Molecular and BioPhotonics Group

Molecular and BioPhotonics research lies at the intersection of physics, chemistry, engineering, and life sciences. The development of photonic techniques, which use light to detect, quantify, and image molecules, are used to establish the optical measurement science, modeling, and simulation tools critical to solving many real world applications.

The Molecular and BioPhotonics group research efforts focus on the development of the following:

  • New photonic spectroscopic and imaging techniques for enhanced detection of molecules;
  • Measurement standards for improving manufacturing quality and promoting acceptance of  imaging technologies; and
  • The application of photonics techniques to real world problems.

News and Updates

Jeeseong Hwang with imaging insturment

Seeing Into Cells More Clearly

NIST scientists, with collaborators at the University of Michigan, have designed and demonstrated a new and easily tunable, high-contrast scattering agent for...

Projects and Programs

Development of differential absorption LIDAR Technologies

Ongoing
The basic processes involved in elastic backscatter LIDAR are as follows. A laser emits a pulse of light (typically a few nanoseconds), and as the pulse propagates, the photons interact with molecules and aerosol particles. Some of these, the interactions with aerosols, such as Mie and Rayleigh...
nano-biophotonics collage

Nano-biophotonics for molecular imaging

Ongoing
Nano-biophotonics consists of four broad areas: molecular bioimaging; nano-biosensors; multiplexed bioassays ; and nanotechnology-based medical practices for diagnosis and therapy. Success in these areas is challenged by the underlying complexity of biological systems. Major levels of complexity and...

Quantum State-Resolved Spectroscopic Techniques

Ongoing
Terahertz radiation interrogates the lowest frequency vibrational (phonon) modes of biomolecules. These modes characterize the incipient motions for large-scale conformational changes responsible for the backbone flexibility of protein, polynucleotide and polysaccharide. Thus, terahertz spectral...

THz Detection of Corrosion on Rebar Embedded in Concrete

Ongoing
We developed a new technology to detect and quantify the extent of corrosion in embedded rebar using Terahertz (THz) and microwave spectroscopies. This new method exploits the likelihood that a number of iron corrosion products are antiferromagnetic and absorb THz and microwave radiation. In this...

Publications

JBO Special Issue on Hyperspectral Imaging

Author(s)
Baowei Fei, Jeeseong Hwang, Matija Milanic
The editors introduce a Journal of Biomedical Optics (JBO) feature issue on "Hyperspectral imaging." The special issue features a number of important research...

Software

JB95 Spectral fitting program

A graphical user interface program, JB95, based on a Windows 95 © API platform has been written in the C programming language to aid in the analysis of complex

Tools and Instruments

THz photomixer spectrometer

Continuous-wave terahertz spectrometer

The continuous-wave terahertz spectrometer makes use of two near-infrared lasers. The first laser is a fixed-frequency cw ring Ti:Saph laser operating near 840

Awards

Photo of David Plusquellic

2025 Optica Fellow - David Plusquellic

For pioneering advances in electro-optic frequency comb technology from ultraviolet to terahertz frequencies for spectroscopy, molecular dynamics, and remote sensing applications

TAKING MEASURE BLOG

Patents

Photoacoustic Photon Meter And Process For Measuring Photon Fluence

NIST Inventors
Kimberly A. Briggman , Chris Yung , Jeeseong C. Hwang and John H. Lehman
A photoacoustic photon meter includes: a photoacoustic generative array including carbon nanotubes disposed in a photoacoustic generating pattern, such that the carbon nanotubes: receive photons comprising optical energy, and produce thermal energy from the optical energy; and a superstratum

Optical Phantom for Producing a Time-Resolved Diffuse Reflectance Spectrum

NIST Inventors
Jeeseong C. Hwang
An optical phantom produces a time-resolved diffuse reflectance spectrum and includes: a light source; a spatial light modulator; and an optical delay line including optical fibers of different length that produce different time-of-flight distributions, such that different time-of-flight
Diagram of the dual optical frequency comb spectrometer consisting of a single laser that is split into local oscillator, reference and probe legs to down-convert, interleave and normalize gas sample absorption signals.

Variable-Frequency Optical Combs, Heterodyne Sensor, and Process for Performing Spectroscopy

NIST Inventors
David F. Plusquellic , Kevin O Douglass , Joseph T. Hodges and Adam J. Fleisher
This invention uses lasers and modulators to create special light waves called “optical frequency combs” that can scan multiple chemical features instantly. These combs detect chemicals by analyzing how light changes as it interacts with different substances. It’s fast, accurate, and doesn’t need
Patents (older than 2018)
  1. “Multilayered Phantom Tissue Test Structure and Fabrication Process", Jeeseong Hwang, Christopher Stafford, Robert Chang, U.S. Patent No. US-9486179-B2, Nov. 8, 2016
  2. “Chirped-Pulse Terahertz Spectroscopy", Eyal Gerecht, David F. Plusquellic and Kevin O. Douglass, U.S. Patent No. US_8748822_B1, June 20, 2014.
  3. “A Fast-Switching Arbitrary Frequency Light Source for Broadband Spectroscopic Applications”, David Plusquellic, Kevin O. Douglass, Stephen Maxwell, Joseph T. Hodges, David A. Long, and Gar-wing Truong, U.S. Patent No. US_8642982_B2, Feb. 4, 2014.
  4. “An Optical Two-Dimensional Servo-Loop for Laser Beam Stabilization and/or Position Encoding", W.A. Majewski and D.F. Plusquellic, U.S. Patent No. 4,994,661, Feb 19, 1991.

Research Opportunities

Staff Directory

Contacts

Group Leader

Postal address: Molecular and Biophotonics Group, NIST - 687.05, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305

Was this page helpful?