Sub-nanometre resolution in single-molecule photoluminescence imaging
Yang B, Chen G, Ghafoor A, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Luo Y, Yang J, Sandoghdar V, Aizpurua J, Dong Z, Hou JG (2020)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2020
Journal
Book Volume: 14
Pages Range: 693-699
Journal Issue: 11
DOI: 10.1038/s41566-020-0677-y
Abstract
Ambitions to reach atomic resolution with light have been a major force in shaping nano-optics, whereby a central challenge is achieving highly localized optical fields. A promising approach employs plasmonic nanoantennas, but fluorescence quenching in the vicinity of metallic structures often imposes a strict limit on the attainable spatial resolution, and previous studies have reached only 8 nm resolution in fluorescence mapping. Here, we demonstrate spatially and spectrally resolved photoluminescence imaging of a single phthalocyanine molecule coupled to nanocavity plasmons in a tunnelling junction with a spatial resolution down to ∼8 Å and locally map the molecular exciton energy and linewidth at sub-molecular resolution. This remarkable resolution is achieved through an exquisite nanocavity control, including tip-apex engineering with an atomistic protrusion, quenching management through emitter–metal decoupling and sub-nanometre positioning precision. Our findings provide new routes to optical imaging, spectroscopy and engineering of light–matter interactions at sub-nanometre scales.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
China (CN)
University of Basque Country / Universidad del Pais Vasco (UPV) / Euskal Herriko Unibersitatea (EHU)
Spain (ES)
Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts (MPL) / Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
Germany (DE)
China (CN)
University of Basque Country / Universidad del Pais Vasco (UPV) / Euskal Herriko Unibersitatea (EHU)
Spain (ES)
Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts (MPL) / Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Yang, B., Chen, G., Ghafoor, A., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y.,... Hou, J.G. (2020). Sub-nanometre resolution in single-molecule photoluminescence imaging. Nature Photonics, 14(11), 693-699. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-020-0677-y
MLA:
Yang, Ben, et al. "Sub-nanometre resolution in single-molecule photoluminescence imaging." Nature Photonics 14.11 (2020): 693-699.
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