High-sensitivity stark spectroscopy obtained by surface plasmon resonance measurement.

The effect (Stark effect) of an applied electric field on the electronic states of molecular adsorbates was studied by measuring surface plasmon resonance (SPR) as a function of the wavelength of the incident light that excites the SPR. Using the Kramers-Kronig relation, Stark spectra comparable to those obtained with conventional methods were extracted from the electric field-induced SPR angular shift for several organic adsorbates. Because this method relies on detecting the SPR angular shift that can be measured precisely, high-sensitivity Stark spectroscopy can be achieved. In addition, the adsorbate coverage information can be determined from the SPR angular shift upon molecular adsorption.