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Optical Modes of Gold Tapers Probed by Electron Beams

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Near-Field-Mediated Photon–Electron Interactions

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Optical Sciences ((SSOS,volume 228))

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Abstract

The optical microscopy and spectroscopy of nano-objects and macromolecules demands the efficient coupling of far-field light to the microscopic scale extended at only a few percent of the optical wavelength. Thus, a far-field-to-near-field coupler is a vital tool in optical metrology, providing the ability to combine well-advanced optical techniques such as pump-probe spectroscopy and spectral interferometry with the microscopic world. Three-dimensional optical tapers, particularly metallic tapers, have been proposed [1], intensively investigated, and employed in many groups worldwide for this purpose [2, 3]. The concept that allows an efficient coupling of far-field light onto single nano-objects is adiabatic nanofocusing [1]. In adiabatic nanofocusing , the optical modes of a metallic taper evolve, via propagation along the shaft towards the apex, in an extremely efficient mode-conversion procedure and result in localization of the electromagnetic energy only at the very apex, extended within a few atomic scales, provided that the apex is sharp enough.

Portions of the text of this chapter have been re-published with permission from [4], Copyright © 2015, American Chemical Society; [5], Copyright © 2015, American Chemical Society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stuttgart Center for Electron Microscopy (StEM), Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Nahid Talebi

  2. Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Kiel, Germany

    Nahid Talebi

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Talebi, N. (2019). Optical Modes of Gold Tapers Probed by Electron Beams. In: Near-Field-Mediated Photon–Electron Interactions. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 228. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33816-9_6

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