A plasmon ruler based on nanoscale photothermal effect
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: The determination of nanoscale distances or distance changes necessitates a nanoscale ruler. In the present paper, distance dependence of particle temperature in an optically heated gold nanoparticle pair is quantitatively investigated to explore the possibility of creating a plasmon ruler based on this effect. The two origins of the distance-dependence, i.e., electromagnetic coupling and thermal accumulative effect, are studied. For the particle temperature, a scaling behavior is found, and it suggests that the decay of particle temperature with the interparticle gap for different particle sizes follows a common exponential decay equation. This scaling behavior is qualitatively explained with a simple dipolar-coupling model combined with a point heat source interaction model. On the basis of this scaling behavior of absorption power, we further establish a plasmon ruler equation relating the particle temperature and the interparticle distance. Our findings can serve as an excellent guideline for designing and optimizing temperature-based plasmon rulers.
Source: Optics Express
DOI: 10.1364/oe.21.000172
Authors: Weichun Zhang, Qiang Li, Min Qiu
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,270
OpenAlex ID: W2087939744