Observation of a single laser-excited center at the point of a crystalline needle

The points of lithium fluoride needles are investigated by laser photoelectronic projection microscopy. A situation in which a single atomic-size source of electrons — an F ₂ color center — is observed in the region near the point is realized. As a result of the good fluorescence properties of these centers, these needles can be used as the active element of a scanning fluorescence microscope employing resonance transfer of electronic excitation energy. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 6, 441–444 (25 March 1997)