Strong extinction of a laser beam by a single molecule.
We present an experiment where a single molecule strongly affects the amplitude and phase of a laser field emerging from a subwavelength aperture. We achieve a visibility of -6% in direct and +10% in cross-polarized detection schemes. Our analysis shows that a close to full extinction should be possible using near-field excitation.
Gerhardt
I
I
Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Wrigge
G
G
Bushev
P
P
Zumofen
G
G
Agio
M
M
Pfab
R
R
Sandoghdar
V
V