Optical imaging and tracking of single molecules in ultrahigh vacuum
Abstract
Molecule-surface interaction is key to many physical and chemical processes at interfaces. Here, we show that the dynamics of single molecules on a surface under ultrahigh vacuum can be resolved using fluorescence imaging. By adapting oil-immersion microscopy to a thin vacuum window, we measure the surface adsorption, translational and rotational diffusion of single perylene molecules on a fused silica surface with high spatial and temporal resolutions. Time-dependent measurements of the fluorescence signal allow us to deduce two characteristic decay time scales, which can be explained through a simplified model involving two adsorption states and five energy levels. The system presented in this work combines fluorescence imaging with essential ingredients for surface science and promises a platform for probing single molecule-surface interactions in highly defined conditions.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2110.09224,
title = {Optical imaging and tracking of single molecules in ultrahigh vacuum},
author = {Tianyu Fang and Florian Elsen and Nick Vogeley and Daqing Wang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2110.09224},
year = {2021}
}