Optical Chemical Sensors

Chemical sensing using optics is under extensive research all over the world and many optical chemical sensors are finding increasing application in industry, environmental monitoring, medicine, biomedicine and chemical analysis. This is evidenced by an annual growth in the number of international scientific conferences in which advances in the field of optical chemical sensors are reported. These conferences, are, however, focused on disseminating the latest scientific results rather than providing in-depth education in the field of optical chemical sensors. In addition, the topic of optical chemical sensors is only just beginning to find its way into the curricula of universities and colleges in Europe and in the US. Due to the prominence that optical sensors are assuming, it has become more and more important to establish a framework for discussion and interchange, in addition to traditional conferences, to aid research and education in this important field. In the summer of 2004, the NATO A. S. I. on the subject “Optical Chemical Sensors” was organised in Erice, Sicily. This NATO A. S. I. was th the 40 Course of the International School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the “Ettore Majorana Foundation and Center for Scientific Culture” and was directed by Dr. J. Homola of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronic (IREE) of the Academy of Sciences in Prague and by Dr. F. Baldini of the “Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics” (IFAC-CNR).

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Optical Chemical Sensors, Erice, Italy, 29 July-10 August 2004.

Chemical sensing using optics is under extensive research all over the world and many optical chemical sensors are finding increasing application in industry, environmental monitoring, medicine, biomedicine and chemical analysis. This is evidenced by an annual growth in the number of international scientific conferences in which advances in the field of optical chemical sensors are reported. These conferences, are, however, focused on disseminating the latest scientific results rather than providing in-depth education in the field of optical chemical sensors. In addition, the topic of optical chemical sensors is only just beginning to find its way into the curricula of universities and colleges in Europe and in the US. Due to the prominence that optical sensors are assuming, it has become more and more important to establish a framework for discussion and interchange, in addition to traditional conferences, to aid research and education in this important field. In the summer of 2004, the NATO A. S. I. on the subject “Optical Chemical Sensors” was organised in Erice, Sicily. This NATO A. S. I. was th the 40 Course of the International School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the “Ettore Majorana Foundation and Center for Scientific Culture” and was directed by Dr. J. Homola of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronic (IREE) of the Academy of Sciences in Prague and by Dr. F. Baldini of the “Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics” (IFAC-CNR).

Fundamentals of optical chemical sensing.- FUNDAMENTALS OF OPTOELECTRONICS.- OPTICAL FIBRES FOR OPTICAL SENSING.- ABSORPTION-BASED SENSORS.- FLUORESCENCE-BASED SENSORS.- VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPIC SENSORS Fundamentals, Instrumentation and Applications.- CHEMILUMINESCENCE-BASED SENSORS.- SENSORS BASED ON SPECTROSCOPY OF GUIDED WAVES.- PLANAR OPTICAL SENSORS AND EVANESCENT WAVE EFFECTS.- INTERFEROMETRY IN BIO- AND CHEMOSENSING.- SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING.- PLANAR WAVEGUIDING SYSTEMS FOR OPTICAL SENSING.- ULTRACOMPACT OPTICAL SENSORS BASED ON HIGH INDEX-CONTRAST PHOTONIC STRUCTURES.- POLYMERS FOR OPTICAL SENSORS.- FUNDAMENTALS OF ENZYME-BASED SENSORS.- SOL-GELS FOR OPTICAL SENSORS.- METHODS FOR ATTACHMENT OF ANTIBODIES ONTO OPTICAL BIOSENSORS.- BIRTH OF THE MASER AND LASER.- Applications of optical chemical sensing.- THE OPTICAL NOSE.- INVASIVE SENSORS IN MEDICINE.- BIOSENSORS FOR DETECTION OF BIOTERRORIST THREATS.- REVIEW OF METHODS OF OPTICAL GAS Detection by Direct Optical Spectroscopy, with Emphasis on Correlation Spectroscopy.- DNA AND PROTEIN SENSOR ARRAYS.- SENSORS FOR FOOD SAFETY AND SECURITY.- OPTICAL CHEMICAL SENSORS FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE.- FIBER OPTIC CHEMICAL SENSORS AND BIOSENSORS: A VIEW BACK.