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Optical Detection and Spectroscopy of Single Molecules

Ross Brown, Brahim Lounis, Michel Orrit

Published Jan 1, 1997• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The optical study of single molecules opens new paths in molecular spectroscopy, solid state physics and quantum optics. And recent experiments at room temperature hold great promise for chemistry and biology as well
DOI
10.1007/s00770-997-0174-6

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Single particle spectroscopy has become a source of valuable information on fundamental interactions between light and matter. Whereas trapping and cooling of ions and atoms has been sucessfully achieved, single molecules, because of their multilevel structure (high number of internal degrees of freedom) have not been observed in electromagnetic traps so far. However due to the presence of zero phonon lines in conjunction with inhomogeneous broadening the spectroscopic isolation and detection of single molecules ‘trapped in solids at very low temperatures' is made feasible [1,2]. Single molecule spectroscopy allows to study the distribution of molecular properties and not only the statistical average which is generally observed.
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