arXiv · 2512.15936
Off resonant Fano enhanced single molecule resolution imaging with a CW source
Abstract
Apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy (a-SNOM) is typically limited to ~10 nm resolution by the tip apex size. We demonstrate that ~1-nm resolution can be achieved under continuous-wave (CW) illumination by exploiting Fano path interference. A defect center that naturally forms at the apex of a metal-coated AFM tip acts as a quantum object and induces Fano interference, forcing a stronger but normally off-resonant plasmonic mode (597 nm) to operate effectively on resonance at the driving wavelength (520 nm). Because this interference occurs only beneath the defect, a ~1-nm-wide, strongly enhanced near-field hotspot is created. Using this off-resonant Fano-enhanced field, we achieve single-molecule-resolution imaging based on exact three-dimensional Maxwell simulations.
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Rasim Volga Ovali, Taner Tarik Aytas, Ramazan Sahin, Mehmet Emre Tasgin. 2025-12-17. Off resonant Fano enhanced single molecule resolution imaging with a CW source. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15936
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