The detected SPR signal is a consequence of the electromagnetic 'coupling' of the incident light with the surface plasmon of the gold layer. This interaction is particularly sensitive to the characteristics of the layer at the gold–solution interface, which is usually just a few nanometers thick. When substances bind to the surface, it alters the way light is reflected, causing a change in the reflection angle, which can be measured as a signal in SPR experiments. One common application is measuring the kinetics of antibody-antigen interactions.