Individual quantum dots and single fluorescent molecules as optical nanoprobes

Summary form only given. Optical spectroscopy of single fluorescent molecules and individual quantum dots is now a decade old. It has been demonstrated that one can use traditional far-field imaging to determine the location of these individual particles with spatial resolution of order 10´s of nanometers, far in excess of the diffraction limit. This talk will highlight several examples where these particles are used as nanoprobes for determining the local properties of the host material in which they are embedded.