Efficient excitation and collection of single-molecule fluorescence close to a dielectric microsphere
JOSA B, Vol. 26, Issue 7, pp. 1473-1478 (2009)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.26.001473
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Abstract
Dielectric microspheres illuminated by a tightly focused Gaussian beam can focus light on a tiny spot with subwavelength dimensions along the three directions of space. We report here a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the interaction between a single fluorescent molecule and this peculiar electromagnetic distribution. The microsphere increases the excitation intensity sensed by the molecule up to a factor of 2.2, while at the same time it allows for a collection efficiency of up to 60% by redirecting the light emitted at large incidences toward the optical axis. By combining these two effects, the number of collected fluorescence photons can be increased up to a factor of 5. We quantify the evolution of the excitation and collection contributions with the microsphere dimensions and compare our experimental findings with numerical simulations.
© 2009 Optical Society of America
OCIS Codes
(170.6280) Medical optics and biotechnology : Spectroscopy, fluorescence and luminescence
(260.2510) Physical optics : Fluorescence
(290.4020) Scattering : Mie theory
(350.3950) Other areas of optics : Micro-optics
(240.3990) Optics at surfaces : Micro-optical devices
ToC Category:
Scattering
History
Original Manuscript: April 20, 2009
Manuscript Accepted: May 28, 2009
Published: June 30, 2009
Virtual Issues
Vol. 4, Iss. 9 Virtual Journal for Biomedical Optics
Citation
Davy Gérard, Alexis Devilez, Heykel Aouani, Brian Stout, Nicolas Bonod, Jérôme Wenger, Evgeny Popov, and Hervé Rigneault, "Efficient excitation and collection of single-molecule fluorescence close to a dielectric microsphere," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 26, 1473-1478 (2009)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/vjbo/abstract.cfm?URI=josab-26-7-1473
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