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We observed nanometre-scale optical near-field induced photoisomerization on the surface of a photochromic diarylethene crystal via molecular structural changes using an optical near-field assisted atomic force microscope. A nanometre-scale concavity was formed on the sample surface due to locally induced photoisomerization. By using this optical near-field induced local photoisomerization, we succeeded in generating a pattern of alphabet characters on the surface of the diarylethene crystal below the optical wavelength scale. Further, by exploiting the photochromism of the investigated material, erasure of the generated pattern was also confirmed, where the evolution of the pattern during erasure depended on the local spatial characteristics of the crystal. These experimental findings demonstrate the fundamental abilities of photochromic crystals in dynamic memorization in nanometre-scale light–matter interactions.

Nanometre-scale pattern formation on the surface of a photochromic crystal by optical near-field induced photoisomerization