Kyoto University · Physics and Astronomy
Professor Hirofumi Yamada's research lab specializes in advanced nanoscale imaging and characterization of biological molecules using frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) in liquid environments. The lab focuses on achieving molecular-level resolution to study the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin and chaperonins like GroEL. A key research direction involves minimizing instrumental noise—particularly in the optical beam deflection system—to enhance imaging sensitivity and stability. The lab also explores the fundamental limits of AFM resolution and noise control for biological applications.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
We demonstrated molecular resolution imaging of biological samples such as bacteriorhodopsin protein molecules in purple membrane and isolated chaperonin (GroEL) protein molecules, both adsorbed on mica using frequency modulation atomic force microscope (FM-AFM) in liquid. We also showed that the frequency noise of FM-AFM in liquid can be greatly reduced by the reduction of the noise-equivalent deflection of an optical beam deflection sensor.
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