title: Absorption and fluorescence of single molecules.
abstract: Simultaneous detection of single molecules by absorption and fluorescence is demonstrated using confocal microscopy at cryogenic temperature. Dynamical processes such as blinking and spectral jumping of single emitters are observed in both detection channels. The relative magnitude of fluorescence and absorption varies between molecules. In particular, we observe molecules that do not emit detectable Stokes-shifted fluorescence but show a strong absorption signal. The fact that coherent resonant scattering underlies the absorption process is demonstrated by a correlation between small linewidth and large absorption amplitude.
authors.affiliation: Nano-Optics Group, National Center of Competence for Research in Nanoscale Science, Institute of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: J Y P
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Butter
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Crenshaw
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weder