title: Size-Dependent Accuracy of Nanoscale Thermometers.
abstract: The accuracy of two classes of nanoscale thermometers is estimated in terms of size and system-dependent properties using the spin-boson model. We consider solid state thermometers, where the energy splitting is tuned by thermal properties of the material, and fluorescent organic thermometers, in which the fluorescence intensity depends on the thermal population of conformational states of the thermometer. The results of the theoretical model compare well with the accuracy reported for several nanothermometers that have been used to measure local temperature inside living cells.
authors.affiliation: †Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.|‡Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alicki
authors.affiliation: §Department of Chemistry and Chemical Physics Program, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, United States.|‡Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Leitner
mesh_terms: D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D005453:Fluorescence; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D058612:Nanodiamonds / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D013821:Thermometers
chemical_list: D058612:Nanodiamonds; D011108:Polymers; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins