Optical Fourier transform spectroscopy of single-walled carbon nanotubes and single molecules

We use two-beam interferometry in combination with confocal microscopy for Raman and fluorescence studies of spatially isolated single-walled carbon nanotubes and single dye molecules. We investigate the potential of optical Fourier transform spectroscopy for the spectral characterization of single molecules and molecular nanostructures. We demonstrate that it is possible to obtain the temporal coherence characteristics as well as reliable spectroscopic data of the single photon fluorescence emission of an isolated molecule from one measured interferogram, even though the molecule exhibits intensity fluctuations and spectral jumps.