Precision measurement of the electromagnetic fields in the focal region of a high-numerical-aperture lens using a tapered fiber probe

Probing spin density at the nanoscale using spin-orbital coupling in light scattering

We propose a scattering-type nano-polarimeter for probing the local spin density with subwavelength spatial resolution via the spin-orbital interactions at the nanoscale. The nano-polarimeter is simple to operate and can be applied to a variety of asymmetric nanoprobes, allowing direct data retrieval using two point detectors. Moreover, this technique is not limited to the spin-density detection but can also be used for the measurement of any given polarization states of light, no matter whether it is a free-space propagating wave or nonpropagating wave bound in the near-field region of nanostructures.

Mapping the electric field distribution of tightly focused cylindrical vector beams with gold nanorings

In this paper gold nanorings (NRs) are applied as particularly well-suited sensing elements for mapping the radially symmetric electric fields in the high numerical aperture focus of cylindrical vector beams. The optical properties of gold nanorings are analyzed by a combination of extinction and single particle dark field spectroscopy as well as confocal photoluminescence (PL) imaging. The results are compared to numerical calculations. The in-plane components in the focus of the cylindrical vector beams are estimated through the PL intensity distributions of the NRs. The optimum overlap between the structure and excitation is visualized by a narrow centre spot in the far-field PL scan.

Three-dimensional characterization of tightly focused fields for various polarization incident beams

Tightly focused vectorial optical beams have found extensive applications in variety of technical fields like single-molecule detection, optical tweezers, and super-resolution optical microscopy. Such applications require an accurate measurement and manipulation of focal optical fields. We have developed a compact instrument (with dimensions of 35 × 35 × 30 cm³) to rapidly measure the intensity distribution in three dimensions of the focused fields of vectorial beams and any other incident beams. This instrument employs a fluorescent nanoparticle as a probe to scan the focal region to obtain a high spatial resolution of intensity distribution. It integrates a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator to allow for tailoring the point spread function of the optical system, making it a useful tool for multi-purpose and flexible research. The robust applicability of the instrument is verified by measuring the 3D intensity distributions of focal fields of various polarization and wavefront modulated incident beams focused by a high NA (=1.25) objective lens. The minimal data acquisition time achievable in the experiment is about 8 s for a scanning region of 3.2 × 3.2 μm² (512 × 512 pixels). The measured results are in good agreement with those predicted by the vectorial diffraction theory.

Influence of the substrate material on the knife-edge based profiling of tightly focused light beams

The performance of the knife-edge method as a beam profiling technique for tightly focused light beams depends on several parameters, such as the material and height of the knife-pad as well as the polarization and wavelength of the focused light beam under study. Here we demonstrate that the choice of the substrate the knife-pads are fabricated on has a crucial influence on the reconstructed beam projections as well. We employ an analytical model for the interaction of the knife-pad with the beam and report good agreement between our numerical and experimental results. Moreover, we simplify the analytical model and demonstrate, in which way the underlying physical effects lead to the apparent polarization dependent beam shifts and changes of the beamwidth for different substrate materials and heights of the knife-pad.

Multipole and plane wave expansions of diverging and converging fields

This paper presents and compares two basis systems, spherical harmonics and plane waves, for studying diverging and converging beams in an optical system. We show a similarity between a converging field and the time reversed field of a radiation field. We present and analyze the differences between the Debye-Wolf diffraction integral and the multipole theory for focusing of polarized light. The Debye-Wolf diffraction integral gives a well-known anomalous behavior on the optical axis and at the edge of the focused beam that can be avoided by using the multipole theory.

Bethe-hole polarization analyser for the magnetic vector of light

The nature of light as an electromagnetic wave with transverse components has been confirmed using optical polarizers, which are sensitive to the orientation of the electric field. Recent advances in nanoscale optical technologies demand their magnetic counterpart, which can sense the orientation of the optical magnetic field. Here we report that subwavelength metallic apertures on infinite plane predominantly sense the magnetic field of light, establishing the orientation of the magnetic component of light as a separate entity from its electric counterpart. A subwavelength aperture combined with a tapered optical fibre probe can also serve as a nanoscale polarization analyser for the optical magnetic field, analogous to a nanoparticle sensing the local electric polarization. As proof of its functionality, we demonstrate the measurement of a magnetic field orientation that is parallel to the electric field, as well as a circularly polarized magnetic field in the presence of a linearly polarized electric field.

Revealing local field structure of focused ultrashort pulses

We utilize the interaction of tightly focused ultrashort pulses with transparent media to imprint their local polarization in the focal region. In particular, we demonstrate that this technique allows for a subwavelength resolution diagnostic of complex polarization states including the presence of the longitudinal component of the electric field. Moreover, we demonstrate the first ever material ablation with the longitudinal electric field of femtosecond pulses.

Phase shift of a weak coherent beam induced by a single atom

We report on a direct measurement of a phase shift on a weak coherent beam by a single 87Rb atom in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. By strongly focusing the probe mode to the location of the atom, a maximum phase shift of about 1 degree is observed experimentally.

Dependence of transverse and longitudinal resolutions on incident Gaussian beam widths in the illumination part of optical scanning microscopy

We studied both theoretically and experimentally the intensity distribution of a Gaussian laser beam when it was focused by an objective lens with its numerical aperture up to 0.95. Approximate formulas for full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the intensity distribution at focus were derived for very large and very small initial beam waists with respect to the entrance pupil radius of the objective lens. In experiments, the energy flux through a 0.5 microm pinhole was measured for various pinhole positions. It was found in theoretical analysis and confirmed in experiments that the FWHMs at focus in the transverse and longitudinal directions do not increase much from the ultimate FWHMs until the input beam waist is reduced below half of the entrance pupil radius.

Slanted hole array beam profiler (SHArP)-a high-resolution portable beam profiler based on a linear aperture array

We demonstrate a novel high-resolution portable beam profiler based on a slanted linear array of small apertures, termed a slanted hole array beam profiler (SHArP). The apertures are directly fabricated on a metal-coated CMOS imaging sensor. With a single linear scan, the aperture array can establish a virtual grid of sampling points for beam profiling. With our prototype, we demonstrate beam profiling of Gaussian beams over an area of 66.5 microm x 66.5 microm with a resolution of 0.8 microm (compare with the CMOS pixel size of 10 microm). The resolution can be improved into the range of submicrometers by fabricating smaller apertures. The good correspondence between the measured and calculated beam profiles proves the fidelity of our new beam profiling scheme.

Nanopore tomography of a laser focus

We demonstrate that the ionic current through a solid-state nanopore can be used to measure at single nanometer resolution the three-dimensional intensity profile of a laser directly in the focus of a microscope objective. We find a linear dependence of the ionic current on the incident laser power since the laser-induced heat increases the temperature locally in the solution. Our data show a temperature increase of up to 20 K in the center of the focus for a laser wavelength of 1064 nm. Measurements of the two-dimensional temperature profiles at different positions along the optical axis allow us to reconstruct the three-dimensional temperature profile of the laser focus, similar to tomography. Our new technique does not rely on the help of any optical elements and allows quantitative measurement of optical intensity or temperature distributions in aqueous environments with nanometer resolution.

Degree of polarization in tightly focused optical fields

We analyze the degree of polarization of random, statistically stationary electromagnetic fields in the focal region of a high-numerical-aperture imaging system. The Richards-Wolf theory for focusing is employed to compute the full 3 x 3 electric coherence matrix, from which the degree of polarization is obtained by using a recent definition for general three-dimensional electromagnetic waves. Significant changes in the state of partial polarization, compared with that of the incident illumination, are observed. For example, a wave consisting of two orthogonal and uncorrelated incident-electric-field components produces rings of full polarization in the focal plane. These effects are explained by considering the distribution of the spectral densities of the three electric field components as well as the correlations between them.

Nano-optics with single quantum systems

This paper reviews the recent progress in using single quantum systems, here mainly single fluorescent molecules, as local probes for nano-optical field distributions. We start by discussing the role of the absorption cross-section for the spatial resolution attainable in such experiments and its behaviour for different environmental conditions. It is shown that the spatial distribution of field components in a high-numerical aperture laser focus can be mapped with high precision using single fluorescent molecules embedded in a thin polymer film on glass. With this proof-of-principle experiment as a starting point, the possibility of mapping strongly confined and enhanced nano-optical fields close to material structures, e.g. sharp metal tips, is discussed. The mapping of the spatial distribution of the enhanced field at an etched gold tip using a single molecule is presented as an example. Energy transfer effects and quenching are identified as possible artefacts in this context. Finally, it is demonstrated that the local quenching at a sharp metal structure nevertheless can be exploited as a novel contrast mechanism for ultrahigh-resolution optical microscopy with single-molecule sensitivity.