Related papers: Resolution and enhancement in nanoantenna-based fl…
We investigate the coupling of a single molecule to a single spherical gold nanoparticle acting as a nano-antenna. Using scanning probe technology, we position the particle in front of the molecule with nanometer accuracy and measure a…
We investigate the properties of finite gold nanocones as optical antennas for enhancing molecular fluorescence. We compute the modification of the excitation rate, spontaneous emission rate, and quantum efficiency as a function of the…
We report on two orders of magnitude reduction in the fluorescence lifetime when a single molecule placed in a thin film is surrounded by two gold nanospheres across the film interface. By attaching one of the gold particles to the end of a…
The coupling of nanostructures with emitters opens ways for the realization of man-made subwavelength light emitting elements. In this article, we investigate the modification of fluorescence when an emitter is placed close to a…
Nanoantennas capable of large fluorescence enhancement with minimal absorption are crucial for future optical technologies from single-photon sources to biosensing. Efficient dielectric nanoantennas have been designed, however, evaluating…
This document briefly introduces the key concepts to understand the phenomenon of fluorescence enhancement with optical nanostructures. The equations remain simple, with the major goal to illustrate the different physical effects at play.…
We investigate the fluorescence properties of colloidal quantum dots attached to gold rod nanoantennas. These structures are fabricated by a two step electron beam lithography process in combination with a chemical linking method. By…
We report modifications to the optical properties of fluorophores in the vicinity of noble metal nanotips. The fluorescence from small clusters of quantum dots has been imaged using an apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope.…
Optical nanoantennas are a novel tool to investigate previously unattainable dimensions in the nanocosmos. Just like their radio-frequency equivalents, nanoantennas enhance the light-matter interaction in their feed gap. Antenna enhancement…
Imaging of the optical properties of individual nanosystems beyond fluorescence can provide a wealth of information. However, the minute signals for absorption and dispersion are challenging to observe, and only specialized techniques…
Single-molecule fluorescence techniques are essential for investigating the molecular mechanisms in biological processes. However, achieving sub-millisecond temporal resolution to monitor fast molecular dynamics remains a significant…
Fluorescence microscopy is indispensable in nanoscience and biological sciences. The versatility of labeling target structures with fluorescent dyes permits to visualize structure and function at a subcellular resolution with a wide field…
Plasmonic antennas offer promising opportunities to control the emission of quantum objects. As a consequence, the fluorescence enhancement factor is widely used as a figure of merit for a practical antenna realization. However, the…
The selective optical detection of individual metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with high spatial and temporal resolution is a challenging endeavour, yet is key to the understanding of their optical response and their exploitation in…
Specialized applications of nanoparticles often call for particular, well-characterized particle size distributions in solution. But, this property can prove difficult to measure. High-throughput methods, such as dynamic light scattering,…
We demonstrate that the fluorescent emitters can increase light emission from the plasmonic nanostructures in turn. With the help of atomic force microscopy, a hybrid system consisting of a fluorescent nanodiamond and a gold nanoparticle…
Highly ordered periodic arrays of silver nanoparticles have been fabricated which exhibit surface plasmon resonances in the visible spectrum. We demonstrate the ability of these structures to alter the fluorescence properties of vicinal dye…
Noble metal nanoparticles show specific optical properties due to the excitation of localized surface plasmons that make them attractive candidates for highly sensitive bionanosensors. The underlying physical principle is either an…
We discuss theoretically the concept of spatial resolution in near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) in light of a recent work [Opt. Express 17 (2009) 19969] which reported on the achievement of active tips made of a single…
We compute the decay rates of emitters coupled to spheroidal nanoantennas made of gold, copper, silver, and aluminum. The spectral position of the localized surface plasmon-polariton resonance, the enhancement factors and the quantum…