Fourier microscopy is becoming an increasingly important tool for the analysis of optical nanostructures and quantum emitters. However, achieving quantitative Fourier space measurements requires a thorough understanding of the impact of aberrations introduced by optical microscopes that have been optimized for conventional real-space imaging. Here we present a detailed framework for analyzing the performance of microscope objectives for several common Fourier imaging configurations. To this end, we model objectives from Nikon, Olympus, and Zeiss using parameters that were inferred from patent literature and confirmed, where possible, by physical disassembly. We then examine the aberrations most relevant to Fourier microscopy, including the alignment tolerances of apodization factors for different objective classes, the effect of magnification on the modulation transfer function, and vignetting-induced reductions of the effective numerical aperture for wide-field measurements. Based on this analysis, we identify an optimal objective class and imaging configuration for Fourier microscopy. In addition, the Zemax files for the objectives and setups used in this analysis have been made publicly available as a resource for future studies.

In this paper, we present an electrostatic self-assembly method for the controlled placement of individual nanoparticle emitters based on reusable inorganic templates. This method can be used to integrate quantum emitters into nanophotonic structures over macroscopic areas and is applicable to a variety of patterning materials and emitter systems. By utilizing surface-charge-mediated self-assembly, highly ordered arrays of nanoparticle emitters were created. To illustrate the broad applicability of this technique, we demonstrate self-assembly using colloidal quantum dots (QD), nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond nanoparticles, and lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP). Placement of single QDs and NV centers was confirmed by performing photon antibunching measurements using a Hanbury-Brown Twiss setup. In addition, template reusability was demonstrated through daily redeposition experiments over a one month period.

We experimentally quantify the contribution of magnetic dipole (MD) transitions to the near-infrared light emission from trivalent erbium-doped yttrium oxide (Er3+: Y2O3). Using energy-momentum spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the I-4(13/2) -> I-4(15/2) emission near 1.5 mu m originates from nearly equal contributions of electric dipole (ED) and MD transitions that exhibit distinct emission spectra. We then show how these distinct spectra, together with the differing local density of optical states for ED and MD transitions, can be leveraged to control Er3+ emission in structured environments. We demonstrate that far-field emission spectra can be tuned to resemble almost pure emission from either ED or MD transitions and show that the observed spectral modifications can be accurately predicted from the measured ED and MD intrinsic emission rates.

Naturally occurring magnetic dipole resonances can be used as optical sources in metamaterials and optical nanostructures to engineer light emission with applications in energy harvesting, biological imaging, and other photonic devices. Here, we use energy-momentum spectroscopy to quantify the electric and magnetic dipole emission rates of near-infrared transitions in Dy3+ and Tm3+ doped Y2O3. Of these emission lines, we find that the overlapping F-4(9/2) -> F-6(11/2) and F-4(9/2) -> H-6(9/2) transitions in Dy3+ and the overlapping (1)G(4) -> H-3(5) and H-3(4) -> H-3(6) transitions in Tm3+ exhibit the greatest MD emission and thus offer the most direct pathway for integration with magnetic modes in resonant nanostructures. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America