Wide field magnetic luminescence imaging

This study demonstrates how magnetic-field-dependent luminescence from organic films can be used to image the magnetic configuration of an underlying sample. The organic semiconductors tetracene and rubrene exhibit singlet exciton fission, which is a process sensitive to magnetic fields. Here, thin films of these materials were characterized using photoluminescence spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence magnetometry. The luminescence from these substrate-bound thin films is imaged to reveal the magnetic configuration of underlying Nd-Fe-B magnets. The tendency of rubrene to form amorphous films and produce large changes in photoluminescence under an applied magnetic field makes it more appropriate for magnetic field imaging than tetracene. This demonstration can be extended in the future to allow simple microscopic imaging of magnetic structure.