Determining the orientation of the emissive dipole moment associated with dye molecules in microcavity structures

We used cavity quantum electrodynamic effects to determine the orientation of a species of organic dye molecule located in a microcavity environment. We used the Langmuir-Blodgett technique to fabricate well-controlled multilayer structures into which we incorporated dye molecules with well-defined layer positions. Comparing the results of fluorescence lifetime measurements and radiation patterns with theoretical calculations allowed us to determine both the orientation and the quantum efficiency of the dye molecules.