INTERACTION OF AN ASYMMETRIC SCANNING NEAR FIELD OPTICAL MICROSCOPY PROBE WITH FLUORESCENT MOLECULES

We present a numerical analysis of the interaction between novel scanning near field optical microscopy probes based on an asymmetric structure and a single fluorescent molecule. Our finite element analysis shows how such near field probes can be effectively used for high resolution detection of single molecules, in particular those with a longitudinal dipole moment. At the same time, fluorescent molecules can be exploited as point-like probes of the single vectorial components of the near field distribution at the probe apex, providing a powerful tool for near field probe characterization.