Tailoring the optical properties at the micro- and nanoscale is key to enable new experiments in the field of quantum optics and biophotonics. To this end, I use my strong background in numerical simulations as well as nano- and microfabrication techniques together with the expertise in spectroscopy, linear and nonlinear optics to enable and conduct experiments.
High-resolution Cryogenic Spectroscopy of Single Molecules in Nanoprinted Crystals
Mohammad Musavinezhad, Jan Renger, Johannes Zirkelbach, Tobias Utikal, Claudio U. Hail, Thomas Basché, Dimos Poulikakos, Stephan Götzinger, Vahid Sandoghdar
We perform laser spectroscopy at liquid helium temperatures (T=2 K) to investigate single dibenzoterrylene<br>(DBT) molecules doped in anthracene crystals of nanoscopic height fabricated by electrohydrodynamic dripping.<br>Using high-resolution fluorescence excitation spectroscopy, we show that zero-phonon lines of single molecules<br>in printed nanocrystals are nearly as narrow as the Fourier-limited transitions observed for the same guest-host<br>system in the bulk. Moreover, the spectral instabilities are comparable to or less than one linewidth. By<br>recording super-resolution images of DBT molecules and varying the polarization of the excitation beam, we<br>determine the dimensions of the printed crystals and the orientation of the crystals’ axes. Electrohydrodynamic<br>printing of organic nano and microcrystals paves the way for a series of applications, where controlled positioning<br>of quantum emitters with narrow optical transitions is desirable.
On-chip interference of scattering from two individual molecules
Dominik Rattenbacher, Alexey Shkarin, Jan Renger, Tobias Utikal, Stephan Götzinger, Vahid Sandoghdar
Integrated photonic circuits offer a promising route for studying coherent cooperative effects of a controlled collection<br>of quantum emitters. However, spectral inhomogeneities, decoherence, and material incompatibilities in the solid<br>state make this a nontrivial task. Here, we demonstrate efficient coupling of a pair of Fourier-limited organic molecules<br>embedded in a polyethylene film to a TiO2 microdisc resonator on a glass chip. Moreover, we tune the resonance frequen-<br>cies of the emitters with respect to that of the microresonator by employing nanofabricated electrodes. For two molecules<br>separated by a distance of about 8 μm and an optical phase difference of about π/2, we report on a large collective<br>extinction of the incident light in the forward direction and the destructive interference of its scattering in the backward<br>direction. Our work sets the ground for coherent coupling of several quantum emitters via a common mode and realiza-<br>tion of polymer-based hybrid quantum photonic circuits.
Quantum Efficiency of Single Dibenzoterrylene Molecules in p-Dichlorobenzene at Cryogenic Temperatures
Mohammad Musavinezhad, Alexey Shkarin, Dominik Rattenbacher, Jan Renger, Tobias Utikal, Stephan Götzinger, Vahid Sandoghdar
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B
5353-5359
(2023)
|
Journal
We measure the quantum efficiency (QE) of individual dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules embedded in p-dichlorobenzene at cryogenic temperatures. To achieve this, we combine two distinct methods based on the maximal photon emission and on the power required to saturate the zero-phonon line to compensate for uncertainties in some key system parameters. We find that the outcomes of the two approaches are in good agreement for reasonable values of the parameters involved, reporting a large fraction of molecules with QE values above 50%, with some exceeding 70%. Furthermore, we observe no correlation between the observed lower bound on the QE and the lifetime of the molecule, suggesting that most of the molecules have a QE exceeding the established lower bound. This confirms the suitability of DBT for quantum optics experiments. In light of previous reports of low QE values at ambient conditions, our results hint at the possibility of a strong temperature dependence of the QE.
Nanoscopic charge fluctuations in a gallium phosphide waveguide measured by single molecules
Alexey Shkarin, Dominik Rattenbacher, Jan Renger, Simon Hönl, Tobias Utikal, Paul Seidler, Stephan Götzinger, Vahid Sandoghdar
We present efficient coupling of single organic molecules to a gallium phosphide subwavelengthwaveguide (nanoguide). By examining and correlating the temporal dynamics of various single-molecule resonances at different locations along the nanoguide, we reveal light-induced fluctuationsof their Stark shifts. Our observations are consistent with the predictions of a simple model basedon the optical activation of a small number of charges in the GaP nanostructure.
Nanostructured alkali-metal vapor cells
Tom F. Cutler, William J. Hamlyn, Jan Renger, Kate A. Whittaker, Danielle Pizzey, Ifan G. Hughes, Vahid Sandoghdar, Charles S. Adams
Atom-light interactions in nano-scale systems hold great promise for novel technologies based on integrated emitters and optical modes. We present the design architecture, construction method,<br>and characterization of an all-glass alkali-metal vapor cell with nanometer-scale internal structure. Our cell has a glue-free design which allows versatile optical access, in particular with high numerical aperture optics. By performing spectroscopy in different illumination and detection schemes, we investigate atomic densities and velocity distributions in various nanoscopic landscapes. We apply a two-photon excitation scheme to atoms confined in one dimension within our cells, achieving a resonance line-width of 32 MHz in a counter-propagating geometry, and 57.5 MHz in a co-propagating geometry. Both of these are considerably narrower than the Doppler width (GHz), and are limited<br>by transit time broadening and velocity selection. We also demonstrate sub-Doppler line-widths for atoms confined in two dimensions to micron-sized channels. Furthermore, we illustrate control over vapor density within our cells through nano-scale confinement alone, which could offer a scalable route towards room-temperature devices with single atoms within an interaction volume. Our design offers a robust platform for miniaturized devices that could easily be combined with integrated<br>photonic circuits.
suggested by editors
Partial cloaking of a gold particle by a single molecule
Johannes Zirkelbach, Benjamin Gmeiner, Jan Renger, Pierre Türschmann, Tobias Utikal, Stephan Götzinger, Vahid Sandoghdar
Extinction of light by material particles stems from losses incurred by absorption or scattering. The extinction cross section is usually treated as an additive quantity, leading to the exponential laws that govern the macroscopic attenuation of light. In this work, we demonstrate that the extinction cross section of a large gold nanoparticle can be substantially reduced, i.e., the particle becomes<br>more transparent, if a single molecule is placed in its near field. This partial cloaking eect results from a coherent plasmonic interaction between the molecule and the nanoparticle, whereby each of them acts as a nano-antenna to modify the radiative properties of the other.
suggested by editors
Coherent coupling of single molecules to on-chip ring resonators
Dominik Rattenbacher, Alexey Shkarin, Jan Renger, Tobias Utikal, Stephan Götzinger, Vahid Sandoghdar
We report on cryogenic coupling of organic molecules to ring microresonators obtained by looping subwavelength waveguides (nanoguides). We discuss fabrication and characterization of the chip-based nanophotonic elements which yield a resonator finesse in the order of 20 when covered by molecular crystals. Our observed extinction dips from single molecules reach 22%, consistent with an expected enhancement factor of up to 11 for the molecular emission into the nanoguide. Future efforts will aim at efficient coupling of a handful of molecules via their interaction with a ring microresonator mode, setting the ground for the realization of quantum optical cooperative effects.
Nanoprinting organic molecules at the quantum level
Claudio U. Hail, Christian Höller, Korenobu Matsuzaki, Patrik Rohner, Jan Renger, Vahid Sandoghdar, Dimos Poulikakos, Hadi Eghlidi
Organic compounds present a powerful platform for nanotechnological applications. In particular, molecules suitable for optical functionalities such as single photon generation and energy transfer have great promise for complex nanophotonic circuitry due to their large variety of spectral properties, efficient absorption and emission, and ease of synthesis. Optimal integration, however, calls for control over position and orientation of individual molecules. While various methods have been explored for reaching this regime in the past, none satisfies requirements necessary for practical applications. Here, we present direct non-contact electrohydrodynamic nanoprinting of a countable number of photostable and oriented molecules in a nanocrystal host with subwavelength positioning accuracy. We demonstrate the power of our approach by writing arbitrary patterns and controlled coupling of single molecules to the near field of optical nanostructures. Placement precision, high yield and fabrication facility of our method open many doors for the realization of novel nanophotonic devices.
Chip-Based All-Optical Control of Single Molecules Coherently Coupled to a Nanoguide
Pierre Tuerschmann, Nir Rotenberg, Jan Renger, Irina Harder, Olga Lohse, Tobias Utikal, Stephan Goetzinger, Vahid Sandoghdar
The feasibility of many proposals in nano quantum-optics depends on the efficient coupling of photons to individual quantum emitters, the possibility to control this interaction on demand, and the scalability of the experimental platform. To address these issues, we report on chip-based systems made of one-dimensional subwavelength dielectric waveguides (nanoguides) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules. We discuss the design and fabrication requirements, present data on extinction spectroscopy of single molecules coupled to a nanoguide mode, and show how an external optical beam can switch the propagation of light via a nonlinear optical process. The presented architecture paves the way for the investigation of many-body phenomena and polaritonic states and can be readily extended to more complex geometries for the realization of quantum integrated photonic circuits.
Pushing the Photon Limit: Nanoantennas Increase Maximal Photon Stream
and Total Photon Number
Emilie Wientjes, Jan Renger, Richard Cogdell, Niek F. van Hulst
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
7(9)
1604-1609
(2016)
|
Journal
Nanoantennas are well-known for their effective role in fluorescence enhancement, both in excitation and emission. Enhancements of 3-4 orders of magnitude have been reported. Yet in practice, the photon emission is limited by saturation due to the time that a molecule spends in singlet and especially triplet excited states. The maximal photon stream restricts the attainable enhancement. Furthermore, the total number of photons emitted is limited by photobleaching. The limited brightness and observation time are a drawback for applications, especially in biology. Here we challenge this photon limit, showing that nanoantennas can actually increase both saturation intensity and photostability. So far, this limit-shifting role of nanoantennas has hardly been explored. Specifically, we demonstrate that single light-harvesting complexes, under saturating excitation conditions, show over a 50-fold antenna-enhanced photon emission stream, with 10-fold more total photons, up to 108 detected photons, before photobleaching. This work shows yet another facet of the great potential of nanoantennas in the world of single-molecule biology.
Two particle enhanced nano Raman microscopy and spectroscopy Olk, Phillip; Renger, Jan; Härtling, Thomas; Wenzel, Marc Tobias; Eng, Lukas M Nano Letters,7,6,1736-1740,2007,ACS Publications
Surface-enhanced nonlinear four-wave mixing Renger, Jan; Quidant, Romain; Van Hulst, Niek; Novotny, Lukas Physical Review Letters,104,4,046803,2010,American Physical Society
Distance dependent spectral tuning of two coupled metal nanoparticles Olk, Phillip; Renger, Jan; Wenzel, Marc Tobias; Eng, Lukas M Nano Letters,8,4,1174-1178,2008,ACS Publications
Evanescent wave scattering and local electric field enhancement at ellipsoidal silver particles in the vicinity of a glass surface Renger, Jan; Grafström, Stefan; Eng, Lukas M; Deckert, Volker JOSA A,21,7,1362-1367,2004,Optical Society of America
Hidden progress: broadband plasmonic invisibility Renger, Jan; Kadic, Muamer; Dupont, Guillaume; Aćimović, Srdjan S; Guenneau, Sébastien; Quidant, Romain; Enoch, Stefan Optics express,18,15,15757-15768,2010,Optical Society of America
Free-space excitation of propagating surface plasmon polaritons by nonlinear four-wave mixing Renger, Jan; Quidant, Romain; Van Hulst, Niek; Palomba, Stefano; Novotny, Lukas Physical Review Letters,103,26,266802,2009
Design and properties of dielectric surface plasmon Bragg mirrors Randhawa, Sukanya; González, María Ujué; Renger, Jan; Enoch, Stefan; Quidant, Romain Optics Express,18,14,14496-14510,2010,Optical Society of America
Direct excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in nanopatterned metal surfaces and thin films Renger, Jan; Grafström, Stefan; Eng, Lukas M Physical Review B,76,4,045431,2007,APS
Resonant light scattering by near-field-induced phonon polaritons Renger, Jan; Grafström, Stefan; Eng, Lukas M; Hillenbrand, Rainer Physical Review B,71,7,075410,2005,APS
Nonlinear dark-field microscopy Harutyunyan, Hayk; Palomba, Stefano; Renger, Jan; Quidant, Romain; Novotny, Lukas Nano Letters,10,12,5076-5079,2010,American Chemical Society
Excitation, interaction, and scattering of localized and propagating surface polaritons Renger, Jan 2006,Saechsische Landesbibliothek-Staats-und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden
Enhanced nonlinear response from metal surfaces Renger, Jan; Quidant, Romain; Novotny, Lukas Opt. Express,19,3,1777-1785,2011
Nonlinear plasmonics at planar metal surfaces,"Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences" Palomba, Stefano; Harutyunyan, Hayk; Renger, Jan; Quidant, Romain; van Hulst, Niek F; Novotny, Lukas 369,1950,3497-3509,2011,The Royal Society
Performance of electro-optical plasmonic ring resonators at telecom wavelengths Randhawa, Sukanya; Lachèze, Sébastien; Renger, Jan; Bouhelier, Alexandre; de Lamaestre, Roch Espiau; Dereux, Alain; Quidant, Romain Optics Express,20,3,2354-2362,2012,Optical Society of America
Extending Conventional Scatterometry Using Generalized Ellipsometry Reinig, Peter; Geiler, Thomas; Mört, Manfred; Hingst, Thomas; Bloeß, Harald; Renger, Jan; Eng, Lukas M; Seiler, David G; Diebold, Alain C; McDonald, Robert AIP Conference Proceedings,931,1,89-93,2007,AIP
Optically-programmable nonlinear photonic component for dielectric-loaded plasmonic circuitry Krasavin, Alexey V; Randhawa, Sukanya; Bouillard, Jean-Sebastien; Renger, Jan; Quidant, Romain; Zayats, Anatoly V Optics Express,19,25,25222-25229,2011,Optical Society of America
Dielectric surface plasmon Bragg mirrors: theory, design, and properties Randhawa, Sukanya; González, María Ujué; Renger, Jan; Weeber, Jean-Claude; Quidant, Romain Photonics Europe, 69880U-69880U-10,2008,International Society for Optics and Photonic
Deep-subwavelength imaging of the modal dispersion of light Sapienza, R; Coenen, T; Renger, J; Kuttge, M; van Hulst, NF; Polman, A Nature Materials,11,9,781-787,2012,Nature Publishing Group
Fiber-Coupled Surface Plasmon Polariton Excitation in Imprinted Dielectric-Loaded Waveguides Seidel, Andreas; Gosciniak, Jacek; Gonzalez, Maria U; Renger, Jan; Reinhardt, Carsten; Kiyan, Roman; Quidant, Romain; Bozhevolnyi, Sergey I; Chichkov, Boris N International Journal of Optics,2010, Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Extraordinary All-Dielectric Light Enhancement over Large Volumes Sainidou, Rebecca; Renger, Jan; Teperik, Tatiana V; González, María U; Quidant, Romain; García de Abajo, F Javier Nano Letters,10,11,4450-4455,2010,American Chemical Society
All-optical and electro-optical active plasmonic telecom components,Nonlinear Optics: Materials, Fundamentals and Applications Randhawa, Sukanya; Renger, Jan; Krasavin, Alexey; Zayats, Anatoly; Sebastien, Lacheze; Bouhelier, Alex; Quidant, Romain NTuA2,2011,Optical Society of America
Three-dimensional optical manipulation of a single electron spin Geiselmann, Michael; Juan, Mathieu L; Renger, Jan; Say, Jana M; Brown, Louise J; De Abajo, F Javier García; Koppens, Frank; Quidant, Romain Nature nanotechnology,8,3,175-179,2013,Nature Publishing Group
Three-dimensional manipulation with scanning near-field optical nanotweezers Berthelot, J; Aćimović, SS; Juan, ML; Kreuzer, MP; Renger, J; Quidant, R Nature nanotechnology,9,4,295-299,2014,Nature Publishing Group
Deterministic Optical-Near-Field-Assisted Positioning of Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers Geiselmann, Michael; Marty, Renaud; Renger, Jan; García de Abajo, F Javier; Quidant, Romain Nano Letters,14,3,1520-1525,2014,American Chemical Society
LSPR chip for parallel, rapid, and sensitive detection of cancer markers in serum Aćimović, Srdjan S; Ortega, Maria A; Sanz, Vanesa; Berthelot, Johann; Garcia-Cordero, Jose L; Renger, Jan; Maerkl, Sebastian J; Kreuzer, Mark P; Quidant, Romain Nano Letters,14,5,2636-2641,2014,American Chemical Society
Capturing the optical phase response of nanoantennas by coherent second-harmonic microscopy Accanto, Nicolò; Piatkowski, Lukasz; Renger, Jan; van Hulst, Niek F Nano Letters,14,7,4078-4082,2014,American Chemical Society
Strong antenna-enhanced fluorescence of a single light-harvesting complex shows photon antibunching Wientjes, Emilie; Renger, Jan; Curto, Alberto G; Cogdell, Richard; van Hulst, Niek F Nature Communications,5, 2014, Nature Publishing Group
Nanoantenna enhanced emission of light-harvesting complex 2: the role of resonance, polarization, and radiative and non-radiative rates Wientjes, Emilie; Renger, Jan; Curto, Alberto G; Cogdell, Richard; van Hulst, Niek F Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics,16,45,24739-24746,2014,Royal Society of Chemistry
Percolating plasmonic networks for light emission control Gaio, Michele; Castro-Lopez, Marta; Renger, Jan; van Hulst, Niek; Sapienza, Riccardo Faraday discussions,178,,237-252,2015,Royal Society of Chemistry
Plasmon-coupled tip-enhanced near-field optical microscopy Bouhelier, A.; Renger, J.; Beversluis, M.R.; Novotny, L. J. Microsc.,210,,220-224,2003
Polymer-metal waveguides characterization by fourier plane leakage radiation microscopy Massenot, S.; Grandidier, J.; Bouhelier, A.; de Francs, G. Colas; Markey, L.; Weeber, J.-C.; Dereux, A.; Renger, J.; González, M.U.; Quidant, R. Appl. Phys. Lett.,91,,243102,2007
Dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides: Figures of merit and mode characterization by image and Fourier plane leakage microscopy Grandidier, J.; Massenot, S.; de Francs, G. Colas; Bouhelier, A.; Weeber, J.-C.; Markey, L.; Dereux, A.; Renger, J.; González, M.U.; Quidant, R. Phys. Rev. B,78,,245419,2008
Active Control of Surface Plasmon Waveguides with a Phase Change Material Rudé, Miquel; Simpson, Robert E; Quidant, Romain; Pruneri, Valerio; Renger, Jan ACS Photonics,2,6,669-674,2015,American Chemical Society
Resonant plasmonic nanoparticles for multicolor second harmonic imaging Accanto, Nicolò; Piatkowski, Lukasz; Hancu, Ion M; Renger, Jan; van Hulst, Niek F Applied Physics Letters,108,8,083115,2016,AIP Publishing
Pushing the Photon Limit: Nanoantennas Increase Maximal Photon Stream and Total Photon Number Wientjes, Emilie; Renger, Jan; Cogdell, Richard; van Hulst, Niek F The journal of physical chemistry letters,7,9,1604-1609,2016,American Chemical Society
STED properties of Ce 3+, Tb 3+, and Eu 3+ doped inorganic scintillators Alekhin, MS; Renger, J; Kasperczyk, M; Douissard, P-A; Martin, T; Zorenko, Y; Vasil’ev, DA; Stiefel, M; Novotny, L; Stampanoni, M Optics Express,25,2,1251-1261,2017,Optical Society of America
Nanoscale nondestructive electric field probing in ferroelectrics, organic molecular films and near-field optical nanodevices","Testing, Reliability, and Application of Micro-and Nano-Material Systems II Eng, Lukas M; Grafstrom, Stefan; Hellmann, Ingo; Loppacher, Christian; Otto, Tobias; Renger, Jan; Schlaphof, Frank; Seidel, Jan; Zerweck, Ulrich 5392,,21-35,2004,International Society for Optics and Photonics
Near-and farfield scattering properties of metal nanoparticles excited by radially polarized light Olk, Phillip; Haertling, T; Renger, J; Grafstroem, S; Eng, LM; Gorzolnik, B; Ott, M; Moeller, M 2006
Surface physics, nanoscale physics, low-dimensional systems-Direct excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in nanopatterned metal surfaces and thin films Renger, Jan; Grafstrom, Stefan; Eng, Lukas M Physical Review-Section B-Condensed Matter,76,4,45431-45431,2007,"Woodbury, NY: published by the American Physical Society through the …"
Excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at surface grooves in bulk metals and thin film metal waveguides Renger, J; Grafstroem, S; Seidel, J; Olk, P; Eng, LM; Akhmadaliev, C; Bischoff, L; Schmidt, B; Taverna, D; Weeber, JC 2006