EXCITATION INDUCED FREQUENCY-SHIFTS OF SINGLE MOLECULES

We have developed an experimental scheme to observe frequency shifts o f single molecule absorption lines induced by a controlled manipulatio n in the surroundings in the solid state at low temperatures. In a mix ture of terrylene and triphenylene in the matrix n-octane many single tenylene molecules are observed in parallel with a fluorescence micros cope while triphenylene molecules are excited to their long-living tri plet state. Frequency shifts are induced upon excitation and relaxatio n of triphenylene, resulting in increased spectral dynamics of terryle ne molecules during the relaxation period.