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Managing light polarization via plasmon-molecule interactions within an asymmetric metal nanoparticle trimer

Shegai, Timur ; Li, Zhipeng ; Dadosh, Tali ; Zhang, Zhenyu ; Xu, Hongxing LU and Haran, Gilad (2008) In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(43). p.16448-16453
Abstract
The interaction of light with metal nanoparticles leads to novel phenomena mediated by surface plasmon excitations. In this article we use single molecules to characterize the interaction of surface plasmons with light, and show that such interaction can strongly modulate the polarization of the emitted light. The simplest nanostructures that enable such polarization modulation are asymmetric silver nanocrystal trimers, where individual Raman scattering molecules are located in the gap between two of the nanoparticles. The third particle breaks the dipolar symmetry of the two-particle junction, generating a wavelength-dependent polarization pattern. Indeed, the scattered light becomes elliptically polarized and its intensity pattern is... (More)
The interaction of light with metal nanoparticles leads to novel phenomena mediated by surface plasmon excitations. In this article we use single molecules to characterize the interaction of surface plasmons with light, and show that such interaction can strongly modulate the polarization of the emitted light. The simplest nanostructures that enable such polarization modulation are asymmetric silver nanocrystal trimers, where individual Raman scattering molecules are located in the gap between two of the nanoparticles. The third particle breaks the dipolar symmetry of the two-particle junction, generating a wavelength-dependent polarization pattern. Indeed, the scattered light becomes elliptically polarized and its intensity pattern is rotated in the presence of the third particle. We use a combination of spectroscopic observations on single molecules, scanning electron microscope imaging, and generalized Mie theory calculations to provide a full picture of the effect of particles on the polarization of the emitted light. Furthermore, our theoretical analysis allows us to show that the observed phenomenon is very sensitive to the size of the trimer particles and their relative position, suggesting future means for precise control of light polarization on the nanoscale. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
generalized Mie theory, single-molecule Raman scattering, plasmonics
in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
volume
105
issue
43
pages
16448 - 16453
publisher
National Academy of Sciences
external identifiers
  • wos:000260913500011
  • scopus:55949115696
ISSN
1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.0808365105
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
146af168-8bee-4bb1-9c09-08a9ba80895d (old id 1278986)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:58:49
date last changed
2022-03-28 18:28:33
@article{146af168-8bee-4bb1-9c09-08a9ba80895d,
  abstract     = {{The interaction of light with metal nanoparticles leads to novel phenomena mediated by surface plasmon excitations. In this article we use single molecules to characterize the interaction of surface plasmons with light, and show that such interaction can strongly modulate the polarization of the emitted light. The simplest nanostructures that enable such polarization modulation are asymmetric silver nanocrystal trimers, where individual Raman scattering molecules are located in the gap between two of the nanoparticles. The third particle breaks the dipolar symmetry of the two-particle junction, generating a wavelength-dependent polarization pattern. Indeed, the scattered light becomes elliptically polarized and its intensity pattern is rotated in the presence of the third particle. We use a combination of spectroscopic observations on single molecules, scanning electron microscope imaging, and generalized Mie theory calculations to provide a full picture of the effect of particles on the polarization of the emitted light. Furthermore, our theoretical analysis allows us to show that the observed phenomenon is very sensitive to the size of the trimer particles and their relative position, suggesting future means for precise control of light polarization on the nanoscale.}},
  author       = {{Shegai, Timur and Li, Zhipeng and Dadosh, Tali and Zhang, Zhenyu and Xu, Hongxing and Haran, Gilad}},
  issn         = {{1091-6490}},
  keywords     = {{generalized Mie theory; single-molecule Raman scattering; plasmonics}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{43}},
  pages        = {{16448--16453}},
  publisher    = {{National Academy of Sciences}},
  series       = {{Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}},
  title        = {{Managing light polarization via plasmon-molecule interactions within an asymmetric metal nanoparticle trimer}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0808365105}},
  doi          = {{10.1073/pnas.0808365105}},
  volume       = {{105}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}