nl5b00319_si_001.pdf (1014.65 kB)
Single-Molecule Super-Resolution Microscopy Reveals How Light Couples to a Plasmonic Nanoantenna on the Nanometer Scale
journal contribution
posted on 2015-04-08, 00:00 authored by Esther Wertz, Benjamin P. Isaacoff, Jessica D. Flynn, Julie S. BiteenThe
greatly enhanced fields near metal nanoparticles have demonstrated
remarkable optical properties and are promising for applications from
solar energy to biosensing. However, direct experimental study of
these light-matter interactions at the nanoscale has remained difficult
due to the limitations of optical microscopy. Here, we use single-molecule
fluorescence imaging to probe how a plasmonic nanoantenna modifies
the fluorescence emission from a dipole emitter. We show that the
apparent fluorophore emission position is strongly shifted upon coupling
to an antenna and that the emission of dyes located up to 90 nm away
is affected by this coupling. To predict this long-ranged effect,
we present a framework based on a distance-dependent partial coupling
of the dye emission to the antenna. Our direct interpretation of these
light-matter interactions will enable more predictably optimized,
designed, and controlled plasmonic devices and will permit reliable
plasmon-enhanced single-molecule nanoscopy.