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Technical Physics Letters

Luminescent scanning confocal microscope modified for observation of arbitrarily oriented single quantum systems

Stepan Boichenko, Evgueni F. Martynovich

Published Apr 1, 2012• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A modified distribution of the light field of an exciting laser radiation entering into the objective of a scanning confocal microscope is proposed, for which the focused beam in the course of scanning is capable of exciting all absorbing dipoles with arbitrary orientation at approximately the same efficiency. Calculations show that the ratio of maximum luminescence intensities for the most and least favorably oriented dipoles amounts to 47%. Analogous calculations have been performed for other distributions of the input light field and the excitation efficiency is compared to that of the proposed field.

DOI
10.1134/s1063785012040177

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A modified distribution of the light field of an exciting laser radiation entering into the objective of a scanning confocal microscope is proposed, for which the focused beam in the course of scanning is capable of exciting all absorbing dipoles with arbitrary orientation at approximately the same efficiency. Calculations show that the ratio of maximum luminescence intensities for the most and least favorably oriented dipoles amounts to 47%. Analogous calculations have been performed for other distributions of the input light field and the excitation efficiency is compared to that of the proposed field.
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A scanning optical microscope whose active element (the tip) consists of a crystal containing impurity ions or color centers, which are excited by laser radiation, is proposed. The excitation energy from a single impurity center located at the point of the tip is transferred to the fluorescence centers of the experimental sample by the mechanism of resonant dipole-dipole exchange. It is shown that this approach can give nanometer spatial resolution with high sensitivity, which in many cases is much higher than the sensitivity of the “standard” near-field fluorescence microscopy.
A possibility of inversionless amplification of light by non-dipole molecules oriented state-selectively by means of superimposing of external laser radiation is considered. Various variants of mutual direction of electrical vectors of the probe and orienting fields are numerically analysed for specific ratios of the orientation parameters of the ground and excited states both in pulsed and stationary regimes. It is shown that the variant in which the signs of the orientation parameters of the ground and excited states are opposite is the most promising. The latter can be implemented in selection of the orienting field frequency.
In this work, we present a comprehensive method of characterization and optimization of laser irradiation within a confocal microscope tailored to quantum sensing experiments using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. While confocal microscopy is well-suited for such experiments, precise control and understanding of several optical parameters are essential for reliable single-emitter studies. We investigate the laser beam intensity profile, single-photon emission statistics, fluorescence response under varying polarization and saturation conditions, spectral characteristics, and the temporal profiles of readout and reinitialization pulses. The beam quality is assessed using the beam propagation factor M2, determined via the razorblade technique. An optical fluorescence spectrum is recorded to confirm NV center emission. To confirm single-emitter operation, we measure second-order autocorrelation function g(2)(τ). Saturation behavior is analyzed by varying laser power and recording the corresponding fluorescence, while polarization dependence is studied using a half-wave (λ/2) plate. A temporal laser pulse profile is examined by modulating the power of an acousto-optic modulator. After optimizing all relevant parameters, we demonstrate the microscope’s capabilities in driving spin transitions of a single NV center. This work establishes a straightforward and effective protocol for laser excitation optimization, enhancing the performance and reliability of NV-based quantum sensors.