Simultaneous measurement of position and color of single fluorescent emitters using diffractive optics

We propose a method for simultaneously measuring the position and emission color of single fluorescent emitters based on the use of a large pitch diffraction grating in the emission light path. The grating produces satellite spots adjacent to the main spot; the relative distance between the spots is a measure for the emission wavelength. We present proof-of-principle experiments on beads and mixtures of quantum dots using a spatial light modulator for making a programmable diffraction grating. A wavelength precision of around 10 nm can be achieved for 1000 signal photons and practical background levels, while maintaining a localization precision of around 10 nm.