Optical microscopy and spectroscopy beyond the diffraction limit

Lukas Novotny; Erik J. Sanchez; Sunney Xie

doi:10.1117/12.306128

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24 April 1998 Optical microscopy and spectroscopy beyond the diffraction limit

Lukas Novotny, Erik J. Sanchez, Sunney Xie

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Proceedings Volume 3273, Laser Techniques for Condensed-Phase and Biological Systems; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.306128
Event: Optoelectronics and High-Power Lasers and Applications, 1998, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

A new approach to near-field optical microscopy is presented. The method relies on the highly enhanced fields at sharp metal tips under proper laser illumination. These fields are laterally confined to the tip size and can be used to locally excite the sample surface. Detection of nonlinear responses ensure sufficient background discrimination. The strong field gradients close to the tip give also rise to a trapping force towards the tip. Therefore, the proposed scheme is also promising for optical trapping and alignment of dielectric particles in aqueous environments at the nanometer scale. The paper presents the result of self-consistent 3D field calculations. Starting with a discussion of commonly used aperture probes, the field distributions for the novel scheme are presented.

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Lukas Novotny, Erik J. Sanchez, and Sunney Xie "Optical microscopy and spectroscopy beyond the diffraction limit", Proc. SPIE 3273, Laser Techniques for Condensed-Phase and Biological Systems, (24 April 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.306128

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