Optical dephasing in terrylene-doped polymer microspheres

We present a progress report on investigations of dye-doped microstructures. Motivated by the effect that a confined sample volume may have upon the optical linewidths of dye doped into a small sample, we studied polystyrene microspheres (300 nm in diameter) doped with terrylene. Terrylene doped into polystyrene microspheres has a quantum efficiency of hole burning of ∼10−6. The hole burning also has a very efficient light-induced back reaction. The temperature dependence of the hole width in the microsphere sample has a greater slope as compared to the bulk sample indicating a higher concentration of two level systems associated with the high surface area to volume ratio. The microsphere sample also shows a plateau in the hole widths at low (<200 mK) temperature. The narrowest hole which could be burnt at these temperatures was ∼350 MHz wide. This width is considerably broader than expected from the lifetime-limited value.