Magnetoplasmonic Nanopore Lensing for Enhanced Optical Readout and Controlled Translocation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hybrid magnetoplasmonic nanopore platform that enhances signal readout and actively controls molecule translocation, advancing single-molecule sensing and sequencing capabilities.

Contribution

The work presents an experimentally developed magnetoplasmonic nanopore with bull's-eye geometry and magnetic control, combining signal enhancement with active translocation management.

Findings

Significant electric-field enhancement improves signal readout.

Magnetic tweezing enables active control of molecule translocation.

Simulations show further enhancement from plasmonic coupling.

Abstract

Plasmonic nanopores hold a significant promise for molecular sequencing, but their sensitivity and temporal resolution are constrained by limited signal strength and rapid translocation of molecules through the pore. Here we report an experimentally developed hybrid magnetoplasmonic nanopore platform based on bull's-eye geometry that concentrates surface plasmon polaritons into the pore, resulting in significant electric-field enhancement and improved signal readout. The addition of a ferromagnetic layer allows for magnetic tweezing of magneto-plasmonic nanoparticle-tagged molecules, providing active control over their translocation dynamics. Simulations reveal a further boost in enhancement arising from mirror-on-mirror plasmonic coupling between the nanopore and wall-aligned tagged nanoparticles. Together, experimental realization and simulation-guided insights establish a magnetically configurable, plasmonically enhanced nanopore platform that combines signal amplification with controlled translocation for advanced single-molecule sensing and sequencing. KEYWORDS: Nanopores, plasmonics, single-molecule sequencing, magneto-plasmonics, active control, magnetic tweezing.