On the possibility of observation of single quadrupoles by fluorescence resonance energy transfer scanning near-field optical microscopy

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 188; no. 1; pp. 41 - 45
• Main Authors: Sekatskii, S.K, Shubeita, G.T, Dietler, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.02.2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Fluorescence resonance energy transfer; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Near-field optics; Near-field scanning optical microscopes; Physics; Quadrupole transitions; Scanning probe microscopes, components and techniques; Single molecules; Near-field optics; Fluorescence resonance energy transfer; Single molecules; Quadrupole transitions; Quadrupolar transition; Resonance fluorescence; Experimental study; Energy transfer; Scanning near field optical microscopy; Near field optics
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/S0030-4018(00)01154-8

The possibility to observe single quadrupoles by the recently proposed fluorescence resonance energy transfer scanning near-field optical microscopy (FRET SNOM) is analyzed. When an excited dipole donor center of the SNOM tip is scanned close to a quadrupole molecule of the sample (at a distance of 1–2 nm), the probability of donor-quadrupole FRET becomes close to unity. Thus a single quadrupole can be imaged as a donor fluorescence quenching or by observing dielectric tip-enhanced fluorescence of the quadrupole. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only existing possibility to visualize single quadrupoles.