The Freiburg researchers Dr. Andreas Schreiber and Dr. Matthias Huber, the head of their research group Dr. Stefan Schiller, and their colleagues at the University of Constance have developed the concept of protein adaptor based nano-object assembly (PABNOA). PABNOA makes it possible to assemble gold nanoparticles in various structures with the help of ring-shaped proteins while defining the precise distance between these particles. This opens up the possibility of producing bio-based materials with new optical and plasmonic properties. The field of nanoplasmonics focuses on miniscule electromagnetic waves metal particles emit when they interact with light. The principle behind the production of these materials could also be applied to develop nanosystems that convert light into electrical energy as well as bio-based materials with new magnetic properties. The team published its findings in the journal ("Molecular protein adaptor with genetically encoded interaction sites guiding the hierarchical assembly of plasmonically active nanoparticle architectures"). 
The schematic models and electron microscope images show defined architectures consisting of proteins (green in the model) and gold nanoparticles. (Image: Stefan Schiller) Schiller's team is using tailor-made proteins as building blocks to assemble nanosystems with new physical, chemical, and biological properties. The sustainable and resource-conserving production of these proteins occurs in processes like the natural energy and material cycle of cells. To this end, the team is working on equipping bacteria with additional elements - such as enzymes, transporters, switches, and organelles, the organs of the cell. In the future, the scientists hope that these elements will extend the range of functions of the cell to enable the sustainable production of the desired nanosystems with a minimum of resources. The same principle could also be used to produce basic raw materials for the chemical industry. "Methods like this are indispensable for the successful transition of our economy to a sustainable and resilient bioeconomy," says Schiller. Stefan Schiller is a research group head at the Freiburg Center for Systems Biology (ZBSA) and a member of the Cluster of Excellence BIOSS Biological Signalling Studies of the University of Freiburg. The research was conducted in cooperation with scientists from the University of Constance. The project is receiving funding from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation within the context of the research network "Functional Nanostructures."
The schematic models and electron microscope images show defined architectures consisting of proteins (green in the model) and gold nanoparticles. (Image: Stefan Schiller) Schiller's team is using tailor-made proteins as building blocks to assemble nanosystems with new physical, chemical, and biological properties. The sustainable and resource-conserving production of these proteins occurs in processes like the natural energy and material cycle of cells. To this end, the team is working on equipping bacteria with additional elements - such as enzymes, transporters, switches, and organelles, the organs of the cell. In the future, the scientists hope that these elements will extend the range of functions of the cell to enable the sustainable production of the desired nanosystems with a minimum of resources. The same principle could also be used to produce basic raw materials for the chemical industry. "Methods like this are indispensable for the successful transition of our economy to a sustainable and resilient bioeconomy," says Schiller. Stefan Schiller is a research group head at the Freiburg Center for Systems Biology (ZBSA) and a member of the Cluster of Excellence BIOSS Biological Signalling Studies of the University of Freiburg. The research was conducted in cooperation with scientists from the University of Constance. The project is receiving funding from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation within the context of the research network "Functional Nanostructures."
Illustration of the dielectric nano-photonic lattice for trapping atoms and making them interact. (Graphic: MPQ, Theory Division) The authors use the opportunities provided by nano-engineered dielectrics, the so-called Photonic Crystals, to study both how to trap the atoms closer to each other and make them interact through the guided modes in the structure. As a consequence, the energy scales of the system are increased as well as the range of the interactions, being able to explore new forms of quantum many-body matter. The basic idea is to take a thin dielectric slab the refractive index of which gets periodically modulated by either drilling holes or installing little cylindrical posts in a grid-wise pattern. By using a combination between optical and vacuum forces, the authors show how to make lattices with up to 50 nm, around ten times smaller than for optical lattices. “With these subwavelength lattices we can investigate about the same quantum many-body phenomena as in free space optical lattices,” explains Dr. Alejandro González-Tudela, a scientist in the Theory Division of Prof. Cirac and first author of the publication. “But the difference and advantage of our proposed scheme is that the atoms are much closer to each other. That way we achieve higher tunneling rates and interaction energies for simulations of quantum many-body systems. And this implies that we can relax the cooling requirements of the atoms.” But it is not only the smaller scale of the lattice which provides the possibility to do new kinds of physics. The geometry of the two-dimensional thin dielectric layer allows trapping and guiding the light that falls onto the slab. So an incoming photon interacts strongly with an atom, and then it bounces off. But it does not fly into space: the photon propagates through the waveguide and finds another atom to interact with, and then it goes to the next one and interacts. “Our analysis show that we should be able to achieve atom-atom-interactions, where the interaction mechanism is not by atom hopping (as in free space optical lattices) but by exchange of photons”, Alejandro González-Tudela says. “The result is a two-dimensional solid where the atoms are held together and talk to each other not by phonons – as in regular matter – but by photons. This implies a qualitatively new domain for light-matter interactions, with the capability to ‘design’ the strength and the range of the interactions. We would gain access to a rich set of phenomena, including, for example, quantum magnetism or spin-spin-interactions mediated by photons.
Crowdfunding has paid to carry new inventions to the heavens, like this flight suit. (Image: Final Frontier Designs/Kickstarter) With a little government help Clearly, this is where governments have to step in. Many countries have already benefited from governments having acted to remove monopolies and deregulate controlled industries in various markets. For example, air travel deregulation led to the boom in low-cost flights, while deregulating telecoms has seen a growth in services and providers. In order for crowdfunding to actually involve the crowd, a government has to provide an incentive for funders, in this case its citizens. A great way would be to introduce science-funding shares – a sort of bond that could be issued by any research group for funding a specific research project, which could be tax deductible as an incentive. Of course, not all funding should be given to the crowd, but at least a portion of funding could be distributed in this way, with proper regulations and control. There’s been a lot written about how crowdfunding can improve research outreach, and the extent to which the public understand research projects' aims and motivations. But large-scale involvement of citizens also poses some interesting questions. For instance, there is little doubt that a country needs strong and well-equipped armed forces. But would the research and development of nuclear weapons be ever sanctioned for crowdfunding by the public? Probably not. The world is growing more competitive – and science is taking on a more important role in today’s society. In order for countries to remain competitive, new approaches to stimulate growth have to be developed. In the many countries with dysfunctional central governments, crowdfunding could be the only way for citizens to impose their democratic choices. The internet has radically changed most forms of communication, government and business – why not science and research funding too?