Tight focusing of laser beams in a λ/2-microcavity
2008 | journal article
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Details
- Authors
- Khoptyar, Dmitry; Gutbrod, Raphael; Chizhik, Anna ; Enderlein, Jörg ; Schleifenbaum, Frank; Steiner, Mathias; Meixner, Alfred J.
- Abstract
- We evaluate the field distribution in the focal spot of the fundamental Gaussian beam as well as radially and azimuthally polarized doughnut beams focused inside a planar metallic sub-wavelength microcavity using a high numerical aperture objective lens. We show that focusing in the cavity results in a much tighter focal spot in longitudinal direction compared to free space and in spatial discrimination between longitudinal and in-plane field components. In order to verify the modeling results we experimentally monitor excitation patterns of fluorescence beads inside the λ/2-cavity and find them in full agreement to the modeling predictions. We discuss the implications of the results for cavity assisted single molecular spectroscopy and intra-cavity single molecular imaging.
- Issue Date
- 2008
- Journal
- Optics Express
- ISSN
- 1094-4087
- eISSN
- 1094-4087
- Language
- English