Single-molecule dynamic triangulation.
A proposal for using single molecules as nanoprobes capable of detecting the trajectory of an elementary charge is discussed in detail. Presented numerical simulations prove that this single-molecule technique allows determination of a three-dimensional single-electron displacement within a few seconds with an accuracy better than 0.006 nm. Surprisingly, this significantly exceeds the accuracy with which the probe molecule itself can be localized (given the same measuring time) by means of single-molecule microscopy. It is also shown that the optimal concentration of probe molecules in the vicinity of the electron (i.e. the concentration which provides the best accuracy of the inferred electron displacement) is of the order of 10(-5) m.
Plakhotnik
Taras
T
School of Physical Sciences, University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia. taras@physics.uq.edu.au