Controlling the phase of a light beam with a single molecule

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how a single organic molecule can control the phase of a laser beam, enabling applications in holography, optical processing, and quantum operations through phase-contrast imaging and electro-optical switching.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to manipulate and image the phase of light using a single molecule, including the first phase-contrast images and a single-molecule electro-optical phase switch.

Findings

First phase-contrast images of individual molecules

Demonstration of a single-molecule electro-optical phase switch

Potential applications in quantum and optical technologies

Abstract

We employ heterodyne interferometry to investigate the effect of a single organic molecule on the phase of a propagating laser beam. We report on the first phase-contrast images of individual molecules and demonstrate a single-molecule electro-optical phase switch by applying a voltage to the microelectrodes embedded in the sample. Our results may find applications in single-molecule holography, fast optical coherent signal processing, and single-emitter quantum operations.