Published in

Nature Research, Nature Communications, 1(10), 2019

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12127-3

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Polarization nano-tomography of tightly focused light landscapes by self-assembled monolayers

Journal article published in 2019 by Eileen Otte ORCID, Kemal Tekce, Sebastian Lamping, Bart Jan Ravoo ORCID, Cornelia Denz
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

AbstractRecently, four-dimensional (4D) functional nano-materials have attracted considerable attention due to their impact in cutting-edge fields such as nano-(opto)electronics, -biotechnology or -biomedicine. Prominent optical functionalizations, representing the fourth dimension, require precisely tailored light fields for its optimal implementation. These fields need to be like-wise 4D, i.e., nano-structured in three-dimensional (3D) space while polarization embeds additional longitudinal components. Though a couple of approaches to realize 4D fields have been suggested, their breakthrough is impeded by a lack of appropriate analysis techniques. Combining molecular self-assembly, i.e., nano-chemistry, and nano-optics, we propose a polarization nano-tomography of respective fields using the functional material itself as a sensor. Our method allows a single-shot identification of non-paraxial light fields at nano-scale resolution without any data post-processing. We prove its functionality numerically and experimentally, elucidating its amplitude, phase and 3D polarization sensitivity. We analyze non-paraxial field properties, demonstrating our method’s capability and potential for next generation 4D materials.