Finding a single molecule in a haystack: laser spectroscopy of solids from (square root of)N to N=1

William E. Moerner; W. Patrick Ambrose

doi:10.1117/12.44247

1 July 1991 Finding a single molecule in a haystack: laser spectroscopy of solids from (square root of)N to N=1

William E. Moerner, W. Patrick Ambrose

Proceedings Volume 1435, Optical Methods for Ultrasensitive Detection and Analysis: Techniques and Applications; (1991) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.44247
Event: Optics, Electro-Optics, and Laser Applications in Science and Engineering, 1991, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

Single-absorber optical spectroscopy in solids may be regarded as the problem of finding a single dopant impurity molecule in a 'haystack' composed of 1012 - 1018 background host molecules and up to $OM106 additional impurity molecules. Detailed studies of the low-temperature inhomogeneously broadened 0-0 S1 $IMP S0 electronic transition of pentacene dopant molecules in p-terphenyl crystals have yielded both (1) observations of spectral structure scaling as N, where N is the number of impurity molecules in resonance, and (2) the optical absorption spectrum of a single impurity molecule in a solid (N equals 1). Recent advances in fluorescence excitation of very small volumes have greatly improved the signal-to-noise ratio for a single molecule.

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William E. Moerner and W. Patrick Ambrose "Finding a single molecule in a haystack: laser spectroscopy of solids from (square root of)N to N=1", Proc. SPIE 1435, Optical Methods for Ultrasensitive Detection and Analysis: Techniques and Applications, (1 July 1991); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.44247

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