Optical molecular interactions with bound states in the continuum

Symmetry-protected bound states in the continuum (BIC) are in principle fully decoupled from the outside world and cannot be excited by an external planewave. However, different from this situation, we consider here how a molecule, i.e. a dipole emitter, can interact with a BIC. Samples fabricated from monocrystalline silver flakes, nanostructured with focused ion beam and covered with a dielectric waveguide are realized to support BICs. By doping the dielectric layer with fluorescent molecules, we investigate their interactions with BIC, in terms BIC excitation and modification of the fluorescence lifetime through the highly disrupted density of states associated with the BIC.