Optically Forged Diffraction-Unlimited Ripples in Graphene

Direct imaging of atomic-scale ripples in few-layer graphene.

Graphene has been touted as the prototypical two-dimensional solid of extraordinary stability and strength. However, its very existence relies on out-of-plane ripples as predicted by theory and confirmed by experiments. Evidence of the intrinsic ripples has been reported in the form of broadened diffraction spots in reciprocal space, in which all spatial information is lost. Here we show direct...

Diffraction unlimited all-optical recording of electron spin resonances.

We show stimulated emission depletion microscopy to break the diffraction limit in the all-far-field-optical detection of magnetic fields and resonances. Electron spin resonances from single nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond located at subdiffraction proximities are fully discerned. Since diffraction is overcome by disallowing the signaling state through an optical transition such as stimulat...

Relaxation of optically excited carriers in graphene

diffraction-unlimited three-dimensional optical nanoscopy with opposing lenses

The resolution of far-field optical microscopy stagnated for a century, but a quest began in the 1990s leading to nanoscale imaging of transparent fluorescent objects in three dimensions. Important elements in this pursuit were the synthesis of the aperture of two opposing lenses and the modulation or switching of the fluorescence of adjacent markers. The first element provided nearly isotropic...

Effect of Intrinsic Ripples on Elasticity of the Graphene Monolayer

The effect of intrinsic ripples on the mechanical response of the graphene monolayer is investigated under uniaxial loading using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with a focus on nonlinear behavior at a small strain. The calculated stress-strain response shows a nonlinear relation through the entire range without constant slopes as a result of the competition between ripple softening and bon...