Single Molecule Biophysics and Poisson Process Approach to Statistical Mechanics

Dr Susanta K Sarkar is a single molecule biophysicist. At his single molecule biophysics laboratory, he studies biomolecules and nanoparticles one by one to understand their functions and properties. His multidisciplinary research group has two primary research directions—(1) understanding the degradation of the most abundant protein in our body, i.e. collagen, and (2) bioimaging that exploits magnetically modulated emission of fluorescent nanodiamonds without photobleaching or blinking. During his PhD at the University of Oregon, he worked on the nonlinear optical spectroscopy of semiconductor quantum wells to achieve optically tunable slow light. When he transferred to Cornell for postdoctoral study, he switched to single molecule biophysics. He joined the Colorado School of Mines in January 2014 after a few years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) working on single molecule biophysics and biomedical imaging. Susanta appreciates the support he receives at Mines and enjoys the freedom to work on his scientific dreams. He is looking forward to integrating research and teaching, and producing rigorously trained scientists with multidisciplinary expertise. He also enjoys reading and fishing, and spending time with his wife and son.

Preface
Single molecule biophysics
The total internal reflection fluorescence microscope
Poisson process approach to statistical mechanics
Appendix A: Building a total internal reflection fluorescence microscope: parts, vendors, and costs
Appendix B: The Poisson process