title: Waveguide-modulated surface plasmon-coupled emission of Nile blue in poly(vinyl alcohol) thin films.
abstract: Surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) phenomenon is the coupling of excited fluorophores near a silver film with surface plasmons, resulting in directional emission into the underlying glass substrates. We report a complex coupling of Nile Blue fluorophore with 50 nm silver mirror, resulting in emission at several angles in the glass substrate, with either s or p polarization. This complex pattern of directional and polarized emission appears to be due to optical waveguide effects occurring when the sample thickness becomes comparable to the emission wavelength. We expect waveguide-modulated SPCE to have applications to biophysics and sensing.
authors.affiliation: Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 725 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Ignacy
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gryczynski
authors.affiliation: Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 725 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Malicka
authors.affiliation: Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 725 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Kazimierz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nowaczyk
authors.affiliation: Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 725 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Zygmunt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gryczynski
authors.affiliation: Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 725 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lakowicz
keywords: Nile Blue; Silver film; Surface plasmon-coupled emission; Waveguide