Modeling a nanocantilever based biosensor using a stochastically perturbed harmonic oscillator

Abstract

Nanoscale biosensors are devices designed to detect analytes by combining biological components and physicochemical detectors. One of the well known methods of constructing these sensors is by using nanocantilevers. These microscopic 'diving boards' are coated with binding probes that have an affinity to a particular amino acid, enzyme or protein in living organisms. When these probes attract some target particles, such as biomolecules, they change the vibrating frequency of the cantilever. This process is random in nature and produces fluctuations in the frequency and damping of the cantilever. In this paper, we studied the effect of these fluctuations using a stochastically perturbed classical harmonic oscillator.