Our joint work with Columbia University and the University of Bremen on imaging localized emitters in local strain islands (i.e., nanobubbles!) in monolayer WSe2 using nano-optical techniques (pictured) was recently published in Nature Nanotechnology. Further the work was highlighted by the Montana State University and Columbia university in joint press releases. The study revealed direct observations that individual nanobubbles of monolayer WSe2 host multiple highly localized emitters, and by collaborating with a group from the University of Bremen, it was shown that the likely origin of the emitters is from ultrasmall wrinkles in the atomic membrane. Why is this all interesting? It reveals a possible origin of quantum light emitting phenoman in 2D materials and demonstrates how mechanical manipulation of the atomic membrane can be used to control and tune the optical properties of the material.
T. P. Darlington et al.,
”Imaging strain-localized excitons in nanoscale bubbles of monolayer WSe2 at room temperature”
Nature Nanotech. doi:10.1038/s41565-020-0730-5 (2020).
See the MSU Press Release and Columbia University Press Release
Schematic depiction of nano-optical imaging and spectroscopy of localized states in nanobubbles of monolayer WSe2 on top of a sheet of hexagonal boron nitride.