Localization of nanoscale objects with light singularities
Localization of nanoscale objects with light singularities
Unprecedented atomic-scale measurement resolution has recently been demonstrated in single-shot optical localization measurements based on deep-learning analyses of diffraction patterns of topologically structured light scattered from objects. Here, we show that variations in the diffraction patterns caused by positional changes of an object depend upon the spatial derivatives of the amplitude and phase of the incident field, most strongly around phase singularities. Despite lower intensity near the singularity, an orders-of-magnitude increase in Fisher information contained in the diffraction patterns can be achieved when a nano-object is illuminated by light containing phase singularities, rather than a plane wave. Our work provides a fundamental explanation and motivation for singularity-based metrology with deeply subwavelength precision.
nanophotonics; optical metrology, singularities, superoscillation
915-920
Grant, Thomas A.
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Vetlugin, Anton N.
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Plum, Eric
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MacDonald, Kevin F.
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Zheludev, Nikolay I.
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19 March 2025
Grant, Thomas A.
a598fc1e-2e55-4fda-9c97-25514153d1f7
Vetlugin, Anton N.
05ccabe8-e013-40b9-85a0-be64cd0ff740
Plum, Eric
50761a26-2982-40df-9153-7aecc4226eb5
MacDonald, Kevin F.
76c84116-aad1-4973-b917-7ca63935dba5
Zheludev, Nikolay I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
Grant, Thomas A., Vetlugin, Anton N., Plum, Eric, MacDonald, Kevin F. and Zheludev, Nikolay I.
(2025)
Localization of nanoscale objects with light singularities.
Nanophotonics, 14 (7), .
(doi:10.1515/nanoph-2024-0639).
Abstract
Unprecedented atomic-scale measurement resolution has recently been demonstrated in single-shot optical localization measurements based on deep-learning analyses of diffraction patterns of topologically structured light scattered from objects. Here, we show that variations in the diffraction patterns caused by positional changes of an object depend upon the spatial derivatives of the amplitude and phase of the incident field, most strongly around phase singularities. Despite lower intensity near the singularity, an orders-of-magnitude increase in Fisher information contained in the diffraction patterns can be achieved when a nano-object is illuminated by light containing phase singularities, rather than a plane wave. Our work provides a fundamental explanation and motivation for singularity-based metrology with deeply subwavelength precision.
Text
NANOPH-2024-0639 - revised
- Accepted Manuscript
Text
10.1515_nanoph-2024-0639
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 20 February 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 March 2025
Published date: 19 March 2025
Additional Information:
Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 the author(s), published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.
Keywords:
nanophotonics; optical metrology, singularities, superoscillation
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 499369
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/499369
PURE UUID: 89153b68-9ff9-40d7-96e4-3eb6811cd287
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Date deposited: 18 Mar 2025 17:36
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:00
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Contributors
Author:
Thomas A. Grant
Author:
Anton N. Vetlugin
Author:
Eric Plum
Author:
Kevin F. MacDonald
Author:
Nikolay I. Zheludev
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