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arXiv · 0909.1457

Near-field optical microscopy with a nanodiamond-based single photon tip

A. Cuche·A. Drezet·Y. Sonnefraud·O. Faklaris·F. Treussart·J. -F. Roch·S. Huant
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Abstract

We introduce a point-like scanning single-photon source that operates at room temperature and offers an exceptional photostability (no blinking, no bleaching). This is obtained by grafting in a controlled way a diamond nanocrystal (size around 20 nm) with single nitrogen-vacancy color-center occupancy at the apex of an optical probe. As an application, we image metallic nanostructures in the near-field, thereby achieving a near-field scanning single-photon microscopy working at room temperature on the long term. Our work may be of importance to various emerging fields of nanoscience where an accurate positioning of a quantum emitter is required such as for example quantum plasmonics.

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A. Cuche, A. Drezet, Y. Sonnefraud, O. Faklaris, F. Treussart, J. -F. Roch, S. Huant. 2009-09-08. Near-field optical microscopy with a nanodiamond-based single photon tip. https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.17.019969

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