Organic Exciton Polariton Structured Illumination Microscopy

Abstract

Resonantly excited surface plasmon polaritons at the metal–dielectric interface have revolutionized optical applications, including bioimaging, chemical sensing, and miniaturized photonic devices. However, their use is limited by challenges, such as limited tunability, constraints in strong field confinement, optical losses, and wavelength restrictions. Organic excitonic materials have emerged as promising candidates for addressing these issues. In this study, we demonstrate that organic excitonic films can support surface exciton polaritons at visible frequencies, highlighting their potential in established imaging techniques. This provides a promising alternative to metal-based plasmonic structured illumination microscopy with numerous advantages. Exciton polariton structured illumination microscopy (ESIM) is proposed as a fluorescence imaging technique, achieving a 5-fold resolution improvement over conventional epi-fluorescence microscopy. These results may pave the way for realizing super-resolution bioimaging in a simple and straightforward manner.