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The term biophotonics denotes a combination of biology and photonics, with photonics being the science of direct manipulation of photons, quantum units of light. Photonics is related to electronics in that it is believed that photons will play a similar central role in future information technology as electrons do today.
Biophotonics has therefore become the established general term for all techniques that deal with the relation of biological material and photons. This refers to emission, detection, absorption, reflection, modification, and creation of radiation from living organisms and organic material. Areas of application are life science, medicine, agriculture, and environmental science.
Applications
In microscopy, the development and refinement of the confocal microscope, the fluorescence microscope, and the total internal reflection fluorescence microscope all belong to the field of biophotonics.
The specimens that are imaged with microscopic techniques can also be manipulated by optical tweezers and laser micro-scalpels, which are further applications in the field of biophotonics.
For a controversial minority view of Biophotonics see: Biophoton
External links
- NSF Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology at UC Davis
- Centre for Biophotonics at University of Strathclyde, UK
- The Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics University at Buffalo
- BIOP - Technical University of Denmark
- International Institute of Biophysics, Neuss, Germany
- Biophotonics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
- The University of St Andrews Biophotonics Collaboration, Scotland
"Biophotonics"