Single molecules observed by immersion mirror objective. The orientation of terrylene molecules via the direction of its transition dipole moment

Fluorescence from single molecules of terrylene in a Shpolʹskii matrix (n-hexadecane or n-dodecane) was detected with an immersion mirror objective. An analysis of fluorescence intensity distribution outside the image plane has been performed according to a method presented earlier (preceding Letter). Spatial orientations of a long molecular axis for several individual terrylene molecules have been found. One of the angles from the pair describing spatial orientation was found to match the value available from routine polarisation experiments.