SNOM signal near plasmonic nanostructures: an analogy with fluorescence decays channels

Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope (SNOM) is based on local excitations of nanostructures deposited on a substrate (illumination mode). Ideally, the local source behaves like a dipolar emitter so that the SNOM signal is strongly similar to the fluorescence decay rates of an excited molecule that would be located at the SNOM tip position. We present here how the SNOM signal near plasmonic nanostructures can be used to analyze radiative and non-radiative contribution to the fluorescence decay rate.