Abstract

Recent advances in single molecule spectroscopy have made it possible to investigate individual molecular properties at room temperature. We excite single molecules using laser scanning confocal microscopy with linearlypolarized light which is continuously modulated in polarization. This allows us to measure the in-plane component of a single dipole with great accuracy, and to distinguish between spectral jumps, spectral diffusion, transitions to dark states and orientational effects.

© 1996 Optical Society of America