This book surveys recent advances related to the application of single molecule techniques in various fields of science. The topics, each described by leading experts in the field, range from single molecule experiments in quantum optics and solid-state physics to analogous investigations in physical chemistry and biophysics. A unifying theme of all chapters is the power of single molecule techniques to unravel fluctuations and heterogeneities usually hidden in the ensemble average of complex systems. The concept for the book originated from a gathering of some of the world's leading scientists at the Nobel Conference in Sweden.

Klappentext

The topics range from single molecule experiments in quantum optics and solid-state physics to analogous investigations in physical chemistry and biophysics.

Inhalt

1 History of Optical Trapping and Manipulation of Small Neutral Particles, Atoms, and Molecules.- 2 Thirteen Years of Single-Molecule Spectroscopy in Physical Chemistry and Biophysics.- 3 The Electronic Structure of Single Photosynthetic Pigment-Protein Complexes.- 4 Single-Molecule Optical Switching: A Mechanistic Study of Nonphotochemical Hole-Burning.- 5 Triggered Emission of Single Photons by a Single Molecule.- 6 Photophysics of Conjugated Polymers Unmasked by Single Molecule Spectroscopy.- 7 Confining and Probing Single Molecules in Synthetic Liposomes.- 8 Single Molecule Detection Using Near Infrared Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.- 9 Single-Molecule Fluorescence - Each Photon Counts.- 10 Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy in Single-Molecule Analysis: Enzymatic Catalysis at the Single Molecule Level.- 11 The Characterization of a Transmembrane Receptor Protein by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy.- 12 Applications of Dual-Color Confocal Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Biotechnology.- 13 Single-Molecule Enzymology.- 14 Single-Molecule Enzymology.- 15 The Energy Landscape.- 16 Coherent Intramolecular Dynamics in Small Enzyme Populations.- 17 Single-Molecule Dynamics in Biosystems.- 18 Single-Molecule Dynamics Associated with Protein Folding and Deformations of Light-Harvesting Complexes.- 19 The Study of Single Biomolecules with Fluorescence Methods.- 20 Studying the Green Fluorescent Protein with Single-Molecule Spectroscopy.