Coupling single nanoparticles to a high-Q microsphere resonator

The paper briefly describes the performed experiment, in which the coupling of a single 500 nm dye-doped bead and semiconductor nanocrystals to high-Q silica microsphere resonators is realized, as well as the detection of the fluorescence via a well defined and controllable output port. A homemade confocal laser scanning microscope was used for selecting and addressing single nanoparticles on the microsphere surface. At the same time a prism served as an outcoupling port for the fluorescence coupled to the whispering gallery modes (WGMs). The experimental setup allowed to control the coupling and to determine the Q-factor of the WGMs in the microsphere.