Single molecule spectroscopy of terrylene in n-alkane mixtures

To answer the question of whether special Shpolʹskii guest–host combinations which exhibit well-defined trapping sites are essential for single molecule spectroscopy, we have reinvestigated at high-resolution the fluorescence of single molecules of terrylene. Our experiments have demonstrated that similar to the well-known terrylene–n-decane “Shpolʹskii” system, spectra of comparable quality and with lifetime-limited linewidths of about 50 MHz can also be obtained in several mixtures of alkanes. In the light of these results we then discuss the prospects for single molecule (or single ion) spectroscopy in rare gas matrices.