title: Controlled spontaneous emission of single molecules in a two-dimensional photonic band gap.
abstract: We have established a new platform to control the rate of spontaneous emission (SE) of organic molecules in the visible-light region using a combination of a two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PC) slab made of TiO(2) and a single-molecule measurement method. The SE from single molecules of a perylenediimide derivative was effectively inhibited via a radiation field controlled by the 2D PC slab, which has a photonic band gap (PBG) for transverse-electric (TE)-polarized light. The fluorescence lifetimes of the single molecules were extended up to 5.5 times (28.6 ns) by the PBG effect. This result appears to be the first demonstration of drastic lifetime elongation for single molecules due to a PBG effect.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 588-2 Iwaoka, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2492, Japan. kaji@nict.go.jp
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaji
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Syoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyasaka
authors.forename: Rieko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Shin-ichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otomo