We show the real-space observation of fast and slow pulses propagating inside a photonic crystal waveguide by time-resolved near-field scanning optical microscopy. Local phase and group velocities of modes are measured. For a specific optical frequency we observe a localized pattern associated with a flat band in the dispersion diagram. During at least $3\mathrm{p}\mathrm{s}$, movement of this field is hardly discernible: its group velocity would be at most $c/1000$. The huge trapping times without the use of a cavity reveal new perspectives for dispersion and time control within photonic crystals.

We show that the propagation of a femtosecond laser pulse inside a photonic structure can be directly visualized and tracked as it propagates using a time-resolved photon scanning tunneling microscope. From the time-dependent and phase-sensitive measurements, both the group velocity and the phase velocity are unambiguously and simultaneously determined. It is expected that this technique will find applications in the investigation of the local dynamic behavior of photonic crystals and integrated optical circuits.

We present the first experimental proof for the influence of a nearby nanosized metal object on the angular photon emission by a single molecule. Using a novel angular sensitive detection scheme, we directly quantify the redirection of angular emission for different molecular dipole orientations as an object is scanned laterally over the molecule at different heights. An excellent agreement between experiments and 2D-numerical simulations is found for molecules oriented perpendicular to the sample, whereas, for parallel orientations, the observed behavior contradicts the calculated behavior.

The eigenfield distribution and the band structure of a photonic crystal waveguide have been measured with a phase-sensitive near-field scanning optical microscope. Bloch modes, which consist of more than one spatial frequency, are visualized in the waveguide. In the band structure, multiple Brillouin zones due to zone folding are observed, in which positive and negative dispersion is seen. The negative slopes are shown to correspond to a negative phase velocity but a positive group velocity. The lateral mode profile for modes separated by one reciprocal lattice vector is found to be different.

High-resolution near-field optical imaging with microfabricated probes is demonstrated. The probes are made from solid quartz tips fabricated at the end of silicon cantilevers and covered with a 60-nm-thick aluminum film. Transmission electron micrographs indicate a continuous aluminum layer at the tip apex. A specially designed instrument combines the advantages of near-field optical and beam-deflection force microscopy. Near-field optical data of latex bead projection patterns in transmission and of single fluorophores have been obtained in constant-height imaging mode. An artifact-free optical resolution of $\text{31.7±3.6\hspace{0.05em}}\mathrm{nm}$ has been deduced from full width at half maximum values of single molecule images.