Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Fakultät für Physik

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Fakultät für Physik
Schellingstraße 4
80799 München

Rute Fernandes, Florian Steiner, Jonathan Noé, Thomas Hümmer

Profil

Resonator-microscope: absorption of light at highest sensitivity

We developed a new microscope, based on a technique originally used in quantum optics for label free detection of smallest objects. Instead of an objective lens as in conventional microscopes, we use an optical microresonator, a unit consisting of two opposing mirrors where light can circulate up to 100,000 times. If a nanoparticle is placed between the mirrors, its interaction with light will be strongly enhanced, allowing detection of light absorption as weak as one photon in a million. As one of the mirrors consists of a glass fiber that is the size of a human hair, a scanning microscope can be built that enables highly sensitive imaging and spectroscopy of tiny structures for material research, nanotechnology (Qlibri project), and medical and life sciences (HAL project). Our novel microscope outperforms previous devices in terms of sensitivity and speed by a factor of 1000. In addition, the microscope only needs very low light power, thus avoiding photodamage to the sample.