title: Mid-infrared near-field spectroscopy.
abstract: We demonstrate continuous infrared spectra from 20 nm sample spots, by combining dispersive Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with scattering near-field microscopy (s-SNOM). With the "apertureless" tip of a standard AFM cantilever in one arm of a Michelson interferometer the spectra arise simultaneously in amplitude and phase. The effect of near-field phonon resonance of SiC is used to verify background-free s-SNOM operation, and to determine the absolute scattering efficiency, at 6 cm(-1) spectral resolution. We further report first evidence of free-induction decay from a scatterer composed of parts coupled by near-fields. This is possible only with broadband illumination. It offers a new, unique tool to discriminate against background scattering artifacts.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, Garching, Germany. samarie@rzg.mpg.de
authors.forename: Sergiu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amarie
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ganz
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Keilmann
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007368:Interferometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007834:Lasers; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000379:methods*