High-resolution surface plasmon coupled resonant filter for monitoring of fluorescence emission from molecular multiplexes

Nanoscale photonic devices made of plasmonic structures can control the reflection, transmission, and polarization properties of the electromagnetic field to achieve high-spectral-resolution of light. Here we experimentally demonstrate the use of a real time plasmonic optical filter for photon sorting of fluorescence emission from nanoenvironments in a multispecies system. This was achieved by utilizing surface plasmon-coupled emission associated with nanometer thick metal films for the fluorescence spectral resolution of monomer, dimer, and higher order aggregates of Rhodamine-6G. We highlight the ability to resolve individual emissions from nanostructures in a complex system in its native state without requiring specialized cryogenic and/or high pressure platforms.