Controlling the optical properties of single molecules by optical confinement in a tunable microcavity

Alexey Chizhik; Raphael Gutbrod; Anna Chizhik; Sebastian Baer; Alfred Meixner

doi:10.1117/12.825278

20 August 2009 Controlling the optical properties of single molecules by optical confinement in a tunable microcavity

Alexey Chizhik, Raphael Gutbrod, Anna Chizhik, Sebastian Baer, Alfred Meixner

Proceedings Volume 7396, Physical Chemistry of Interfaces and Nanomaterials VIII; 73960F (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.825278
Event: SPIE NanoScience + Engineering, 2009, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We present experimental results on changing the fluorescence spectrum of a single molecule by embedding it within a tunable optical microresonator with subwavelength spacing. The cavity length is reversibly changed across the entire visible range with nanometer precision by using a piezoelectric actuator. By varying its length, the local mode structure of the electromagnetic field is changed together with the radiative coupling of the emitting molecule to the field. Since mode structure and coupling are both frequency dependent, this leads to a renormalization of the emission spectrum of the molecule. Moreover, we use doughnut laser modes in the tunable microcavity to determine the longitudinal position of an isotropic emitter. By analyzing the excitation patterns resulting from the illumination of a single fluorescent bead in the focus of a radially polarized doughnut mode laser beam we can determine the longitudinal position of this bead in the microcavity with an accuracy of a few nanometers.

Citation Download Citation

Alexey Chizhik, Raphael Gutbrod, Anna Chizhik, Sebastian Baer, and Alfred Meixner "Controlling the optical properties of single molecules by optical confinement in a tunable microcavity", Proc. SPIE 7396, Physical Chemistry of Interfaces and Nanomaterials VIII, 73960F (20 August 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.825278

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