skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Generation of fast photoelectrons in strong-field emission from metal nanoparticles
We investigated the generation and control of fast photoelectrons (PEs) by exposing plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) to short infrared (IR) laser pulses with peak intensities between 1012and 3 × 1013 W/cm2. Our measured and numerically simulated PE momentum distributions demonstrate the extent to which PE yields and cutoff energies are controlled by the NP size, material, and laser peak intensity. For strong-field photoemission from spherical silver, gold, and platinum NPs with diameters between 10 and 100 nm our results confirm and surpass extremely high PEs cutoff energies, up to several hundred times the incident laser-pulse ponderomotive energy, found recently for gold nanospheres [Saydanzad et al., Nanophotonics12, 1931 (2023)]. As reported previously for dielectric NPs [Rupp et al., J. Mod. Opt.64, 995 (2017)], at higher intensities the cutoff energies we deduce from measured and simulated PE spectra tend to converge to a metal-independent limit. We expect these characteristics of light-induced electron emission from prototypical plasmonic metallic nanospheres to promote the understanding of the electronic dynamics in more complex plasmonic nanostructures and the design of nanoscale light-controlled plasmonic electron sources for photoelectronic devices of applied interest.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2409183 2110633
PAR ID:
10592826
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
De Gruyter
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Nanophotonics
Volume:
14
Issue:
9
ISSN:
2192-8614
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1355 to 1364
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract The efficient generation, accurate detection, and detailed physical tracking of energetic electrons are of applied interest for high harmonics generation, electron-impact spectroscopy, and femtosecond time-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy. We here investigate the generation of photoelectrons (PEs) by exposing plasmonic nanostructures to intense laser pulses in the infrared (IR) spectral regime and analyze the sensitivity of PE spectra to competing elementary interactions for direct and rescattered photoemission pathways. Specifically, we measured and numerically simulated emitted PE momentum distributions from prototypical spherical gold nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters between 5 and 70 nm generated by short laser pulses with peak intensities of 8.0 × 10 12 and 1.2 × 10 13  W/cm 2 , demonstrating the shaping of PE spectra by the Coulomb repulsion between PEs, accumulating residual charges on the NP, and induced plasmonic electric fields. Compared to well-understood rescattering PE cutoff energies for strong-field photoemission from gaseous atomic targets (10× the ponderomotive energy), our measured and simulated PE spectra reveal a dramatic cutoff-energy increase of two orders of magnitude with a significantly higher contribution from direct photoemission. Our findings indicate that direct PEs reach up to 93 % of the rescattered electron cutoff energy, in contrast to 20 % for gaseous atoms, suggesting a novel scheme for the development of compact tunable tabletop electron sources. 
    more » « less
  2. The in‐plane packing of gold (Au), polystyrene (PS), and silica (SiO2) spherical nanoparticle (NP) mixtures at a water–oil interface is investigated in situ by UV–vis reflection spectroscopy. All NPs are functionalized with carboxylic acid such that they strongly interact with amine‐functionalized ligands dissolved in an immiscible oil phase at the fluid interface. This interaction markedly increases the binding energy of these nanoparticle surfactants (NPSs). The separation distance between the Au NPSs and Au surface coverage are measured by the maximum plasmonic wavelength (λmax) and integrated intensities as the assemblies saturate for different concentrations of non‐plasmonic (PS/SiO2) NPs. As the PS/SiO2content increases, the time to reach intimate Au NP contact also increases, resulting from their hindered mobility. λmaxchanges within the first few minutes of adsorption due to weak attractive inter‐NP forces. Additionally, a sharper peak in the reflection spectrum at NP saturation reveals tighter Au NP packing for assemblies with intermediate non‐plasmonic NP content. Grazing incidence small angle X‐ray scattering (GISAXS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements confirm a decrease in Au NP domain size for mixtures with larger non‐plasmonic NP content. The results demonstrate a simple means to probe interfacial phase separation behavior using in situ spectroscopy as interfacial structures densify into jammed, phase‐separated NP films. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract Incorporation of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in polymer matrix has been used to enhance and control dissolution and release of drugs, for targeted drug delivery, as antimicrobial agents, localized heat sources, and for unique optoelectronic applications. Gold NPs in particular exhibit a plasmonic response that has been utilized for photothermal energy conversion. Because plasmonic nanoparticles typically exhibit a plasmon resonance frequency similar to the visible light spectrum, they present as good candidates for direct photothermal conversion with enhanced solar thermal efficiency in these wavelengths. In our work, we have incorporated ∼3-nm-diameter colloidal gold (Au c ) NPs into electrospun polyethylene glycol (PEG) fibers to utilize the nanoparticle plasmonic response for localized heating and melting of the polymer to release medical treatment. Au c and Au c in PEG (PEG+Au c ) both exhibited a minimum reflectivity at 522 nm or approximately green wavelengths of light under ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. PEG+Au c ES fibers revealed a blue shift in minimum reflectivity at 504 nm. UV-Vis spectra were used to calculate the theoretical efficiency enhancement of PEG+Au c versus PEG alone, finding an approximate increase of 10 % under broad spectrum white light interrogation, and ∼14 % when illuminated with green light. Au c enhanced polymers were ES directly onto resistance temperature detectors and interrogated with green laser light so that temperature change could be recorded. Results showed a maximum increase of 8.9 °C. To further understand how gold nanomaterials effect the complex optical properties of our materials, spectroscopic ellipsometry was used. Using spectroscopic ellipsometry and modeling with CompleteEASE® software, the complex optical constants of our materials were determined. The complex optical constant n (index of refraction) provided us with optical density properties related to light wavelength divided by velocity, and k (extinction coefficient) was used to show the absorptive properties of the materials. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract As atomic matter interacts with ultrastrong fields, the bound electrons are polarized and have ionization energies changed by Stark-shifting. The unprecedented range of laser intensities from 1015W cm−2to 1024W cm−2can take the interaction from the neutral atom to a bare nucleus. We have used an outer, single active electron approximation to calculate the polarization and Stark-shifted binding energy for ultraintense lasers interacting with highly charged ions at intensities from 1014W cm−2to 1022W cm−2. The polarization of the bound state can result in a dipole moment and Stark shift that may be 0.1 e a0and 50 Eh, respectively. At these high intensities, relativistic effects must also be considered. Across the intensity range of these studies, the magnetic field of the laser does not comparably affect the bound state of the atom; the impact of polarization and Stark shift exceed changes to the bound state wave function and binding energy from including relativity. 
    more » « less
  5. We experimentally demonstrate that a probe beam at one wavelength, although exhibiting a weak nonlinear response on its own, can be modulated and controlled by a pump beam at another wavelength in plasmonic nanosuspensions, leading to ring-shaped pattern generation. In particular, we show that the probe and pump wavelengths can be interchanged, but the hollow beam patterns appear only in the probe beam, thanks to the gold nanosuspensions that exhibit a strong nonlinear response to pump beam illumination at the plasmonic resonant frequencies. Colloidal suspensions consisting of either gold nanospheres or gold nanorods are employed as nonlinear media, which give rise to refractive index changes and cross-phase modulation between the two beams. We perform a series of experiments to examine the dynamics of hollow beam generation at a fixed probe power as the pump power is varied and find that nonlinear beam shaping has a different power threshold in different nanosuspensions. Our results will enhance the understanding of nonlinear light–matter interactions in plasmonic nanosuspensions, which may be useful for applications in controlling light by light and in optical limiting. 
    more » « less