Vectorial probing of electric and magnetic transitions in variable optical environments and vice-versa

Reinaldo Chacon; Aymeric Leray; Jeongmo Kim; Khalid Lahlil; Alexandre Bouhelier; Jong-Wook Kim; Thierry Gacoin; Gérard Colas des Francs

doi:10.1088/1361-6528/ac7884

Vectorial probing of electric and magnetic transitions in variable optical environments and vice-versa

Nanotechnology. 2022 Jul 1;33(38). doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac7884.

Authors

Reinaldo Chacon¹, Aymeric Leray¹, Jeongmo Kim², Khalid Lahlil², Alexandre Bouhelier¹, Jong-Wook Kim², Thierry Gacoin², Gérard Colas des Francs¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne (ICB), UMR 6303 CNRS, Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, 9 Avenue Savary, BP 47870, F-21078 Dijon Cedex, France.
² Physique de la Matière Condensée, CNRS UMR 7643, Ecole Polytechnique, F-91128 Palaiseau, France.

PMID: 35700697
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac7884

Abstract

We use europium doped single crystalline NaYF₄nanorods for probing the electric and magnetic contributions to the local density of optical states (LDOS). Reciprocically, we determine intrinsic properties of the emitters (oscillator strength, quantum yield) by comparing their measured and simulated optical responses in front of a mirror. We first experimentally determine the specifications of the nanoprobe (orientation and oscillator strength of the electric and magnetic dipoles moments) and show significant orientation sensitivity of the branching ratios associated with electric and magnetic transitions. In a second part, we measure the modification of the LDOS in front of a gold mirror in a Drexhage's experiment. We discuss the role of the electric and magnetic LDOS on the basis of numerical simulations, taking into account the orientation of the dipolar emitters. We demonstrate that they behave like degenerated dipoles sensitive to polarized partial LDOS.

Keywords: LDOS; magnetic dipole; nanophotonics; optical near-field probe.