Ultramicroscopy, 111, (2011), 1469-1474
Link to paper

R. Esteban, R. Vogelgesang, K. Kern,

We analyze simulations of the image generation process in apertureless Scanning Near-Field Optical
Microscopy to study the differences between heterodyne interferometric and non-interferometric
detection schemes implemented in experiments. Beyond the well-known possibilities of interferometry
to enhance signals and extract optical phase information, we find that heterodyne interferometric
detection may in fact lead to more robust and easier to interpret experimental results. Further, our
results illustrate how simulations that do not include the use of interferometric detection in a given
experiment can lead to significant disagreements with the measurements.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030439911100180X