Chapter 1 – Introduction  9

crosses into the field of applied mathematics. Since students of the physical sciences have

often a broad spectrum of abilities and interests in math, these theoretical tools may be of

interest to somewhat differing extents. However, what I have included here are at least the

key theoretical techniques and methods of relevance to biophysics, as I see them, so that the

more theoretically inclined student can develop these further with more advanced texts as

appropriate, and the less theoretically inclined student at least has a good grounding in the

core methods to model biophysical systems and equations of relevance that actually work.

In Chapter 2, an orientation is provided for physical scientists by explaining the key basic

concepts in biology. For more advanced treatments, the reader is referred to appropriate

texts in the reference list. But, again, at least this biological orientation gives physical sciences

readers the bare bones knowledge to properly understand the biological context of the

techniques described in the rest of this book, without having to juggle textbooks.

Chapters 3 through 6 are themed into different experimental biophysics techniques. These

are categorized on the basis of the following:

1.3.1  DETECTION, SENSING, AND IMAGING TECHNIQUES

Chapter 3: Basic, foundational techniques that use optical/​near-​optical spectroscopy

and/​or light microscopy. Many of these basic optical tools are relatively straightfor­

ward; however, they are enormously popular and generate much insight into a range

of biological processes.

Chapter 4: More advanced frontier techniques of optical/​near-​optical spectroscopy and

microscopy; although there are a range of biophysical tools utilizing various physical

phenomena, the tools currently making use of optical methods are significant, espe­

cially the more modern techniques, and this is reflected with this additional advanced

optics chapter here.

Chapter 5: Biophysical detection methods that are primarily not optical or near optical.

These encompass the robust, traditional methods of molecular biophysics, also

known as “structural biology,” for example, x-​ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic

resonance, and electron microscopy, as well as other x-​ray diffraction and neutron

diffraction methods. But there are also emerging spectroscopic methods included

here, such as the terahertz radiation spectroscopy.

1.3.2  EXPERIMENTAL BIOPHYSICAL METHODS PRIMARILY RELATING ESPECIALLY

TO FORCE

Chapter 6: Methods that mainly measure and/​or manipulate biological forces. These cover a

range of tools including many modern single-​molecule force manipulation techniques such

as optical and magnetic tweezers and atomic force microscopy. But there are also force-​based

techniques included that cover a range of much higher length scales, from cells up to tissues

and beyond.

1.3.3  COMPLEMENTARY EXPERIMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES

Chapter 7: Lab-​based methods that are not explicitly biophysics, but which are invaluable

to it. This is a more challenging chapter for the physical science student since it inevitably

includes details from other areas of science such as molecular and cell biology, chemistry,

engineering, and computer science. However, to really understand the machinations of

the methods described in the other chapters, it requires some knowledge of the periph­

eral nonbiophysical methods that complement and support biophysics itself. This includes

various genetics techniques, chemical conjugation tools, high-​throughput methods such as

microfluidics, how to make crystals of biomolecules, the use of model organisms, and phys­

ical tools associated with biomedicine, in particular.