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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Surface plasmon polariton assisted red shift in excitonic emission of semiconductor microflowers

We report on the study of metal nanoparticle-semiconductor hybrid system composed of β-indium sulfide (β-In{sub 2}S{sub 3}) and gold (Au) nanoparticles. β-In{sub 2}S{sub 3} micron sized flower like structures (∼1 μm) and Au nanoparticles (∼10 nm) were synthesized by chemical route. These Au nanoparticles have surface plasmon resonance at ∼ 520 nm. We study the influence of Au surface plasmon polaritons on the radiative properties of the β-In{sub 2}S{sub 3} microflowers. As a result of the coupling between the surface plasmon polaritons and the excitons there is a red shift ∼ 50 nm in emission spectrum of hybrid β-In{sub 2}S{sub 3}-Au system. Such hybrid systems provide scope for a control on the optical properties of semiconductor microstructures, thus rendering them suitable for specific device applications in optoelectronics and photovoltaics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Few-cycle plasmon oscillations controlling photoemission from metal nanoparticles

Few-cycle optical excitation of nanosystems holds promise of fundamental discoveries and applications in ultrafast nanoscience, the development of nanostructured photocathodes, and many more. For these, surface plasmon generation on unprecedented timescales needs to be controlled. For this, few-cycle plasmon oscillations on a metal nanoparticle can be generated by keeping considerable electric field enhancement factors. As an initial application of such a high spatiotemporal localization of an ultrashort laser pulse, we numerically demonstrate the control of photoelectrons on a true sub-fs timescale in nanometric spatial domains. We show that it is only off-resonant nanoparticles that can provide few-cycle plasmons and electron control on this timescale.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Multiple Fano interferences in a plasmonic metamolecule consisting of asymmetric metallic nanodimers

We theoretically explore signatures of plasmonic Fano interferences in a subwavelength plasmonic metamolecule consisting of closely packed asymmetric gold nanodimers, which lead to the possibility of generating multiple Fano resonances in the scattering spectrum. This spectral feature is attributed to the interference between bright and dark plasmonic modes sustained by the constituent nanodimers. The excited Fano dips are highly sensitive in both wavelength and amplitude to geometry and background dielectric medium. The tunability of induced Fano resonances associated with enhanced electric fields from the visible to infrared region provides promising applications, particularly in refractive index sensing, light-trapping, and photon up-converting.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Surface plasmon polariton assisted optical switching in noble bimetallic nanoparticle system

Photoresponse of bimetallic Au-Ag nanoparticle embedded soda glass (Au-Ag@SG) substrate is reported for surface plasmon assisted optical switching using 808 nm excitation. Au-Ag@SG system is made by an ion beam technique where Ag{sup +} is introduced first in the soda glass matrix by ion exchange technique. Subsequently, 400 keV Au{sup +} is implanted in the sample for different fluences, which is followed by an ion beam annealing process using 1 MeV Si{sup +} at a fixed fluence of 2 × 10{sup 16} ions·cm{sup −2}. Characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks around 400 and 550 nm provided evidence for the presence of Au and Ag nanoparticles. An optical switching in the Au-Ag@SG system with 808 nm, which is away from the characteristic SPR peaks of Ag and Au nanoparticles, suggests the possible role of two photon absorption (TPA) owing to the presence of interacting electric dipole in these systems. The role of surface plasmon polariton is emphasized for the propagation of electronic carrier belonging to the conduction electron of Au-Ag system in understanding the observed photoresponse. Unique excitation dependent photoresponse measurements confirm the possible role of TPA process. A competitive interband and intraband transitions in the bimetallic system of Au and Ag, which may be primarily responsible for the observation, are validated qualitatively using finite difference time domain calculations where inter-particle separation of Au and Ag plays an important role. Thus, a smart way of optical switching can be envisaged in noble bimetallic nanocluster system where long wavelength with higher skin depth can be used for communication purpose.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Non-spectroscopic surface plasmon sensor with a tunable sensitivity

We demonstrate a non-spectroscopic surface plasmon sensor with a tunable sensitivity which is based on the relationship between the wave number of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on metal film and the refractive index of the specimen in contact with the metal film. A change in the wave number of the SPPs results in a variation in the propagation angle of the leakage radiation of the SPPs. A reference light is used to interfere with the leakage radiation, and the refractive index of the specimen can be obtained by measuring the period of the interference fringes. The sensitivity of the sensor can be tuned by changing the incident direction of the reference light and this cannot be realized by conventional surface plasmon sensors. For a reference angle of 1.007°, the sensitivity and resolution of the sensor are 4629 μm/RIU (RIU stands for refractive index unit) and 3.6 × 10{sup −4} RIU, respectively. In addition, the sensor only needs a monochromatic light source, which simplifies the measurement setup and reduces the cost.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Quantum optical properties in plasmonic systems

Plasmonic metallic particle (MP) can affect the optical properties of a quantum system (QS) in a remarkable way. We develop a general quantum nonlinear formalism with exact vectorial description for the scattered photons by the QS. The formalism enables us to study the variations of the dielectric function and photon spectrum of the QS with the particle distance between QS and MP, exciting laser direction, polarization and phase in the presence of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in the MP. The quantum formalism also serves as a powerful tool for studying the effects of these parameters on the nonclassical properties of the scattered photons. The plasmonic effect of nanoparticles has promising possibilities as it provides a new way for manipulating quantum optical properties of light in nanophotonic systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Far-field measurements of short-wavelength surface plasmons

We present direct far-field measurements of short-wavelength surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) by conventional optics means. Plasmonic wavelength as short as 231 nm was observed for 532 nm illumination on a Ag−Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} platform, demonstrating the capability to characterize SPPs well below the optical diffraction limit. This is done by scaling a sub-wavelength interferometric pattern to a far-field resolvable periodicity. These subwavelength patterns are obtained by coupling light into counter-propagating SPP waves to create a standing-wave pattern of half the SPP wavelength periodicity. Such patterns are mapped by a scattering slit, tilted at an angle so as to increase the periodicity of the intensity pattern along it to more than the free-space wavelength, making it resolvable by diffraction limited optics. The simplicity of the method as well as its large dynamic range of measurable wavelengths make it an optimal technique to characterize the properties of plasmonic devices and high-index dielectric waveguides, to improve their design accuracy and enhance their functionality.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

The effect of beam pre-bunching on the excitation of terahertz plasmons in a parallel plane guiding system

The excitation of terahertz (THz) plasmons by a pre-bunched relativistic electron beam propagating in a parallel plane semiconducting guiding system is studied. It is found that the n-InSb semiconductor strongly supports the confined surface plasmons in the terahertz frequency range. The growth rate and efficiency of the THz surface plasmons increase linearly with modulation index and show the largest value as modulation index approaches unity. Moreover, the growth rate of the instability scales as one-third power of the beam density and inverse one-third power of the THz radiation frequency.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Temperature effect on plasmons in bilayer graphene

We have theoretically investigated the plasmon dispersion and damping rate of doped bilayer graphene (BLG) at finite temperatures within the random phase approximation. Our computed results on plasmon dispersion show that plasmon frequency enhances with increasing temperatures in contrast to single layer graphene where it is suppressed. This can be attributed to the fact that the dynamic response of the electron gas or screening in bilayer graphene is different from that of single layer graphene. Further the temperature effect on damping rate is also discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Nonlinear response of metal nanoparticles: Double plasmon excitation and electron transfer

We investigate the dynamical response of a metal nanoparticle and the electron transfer to a molecule near its surface using time-dependent density functional theory. In addition to the linear response of the Mie resonance, double plasmon excitations and a low-frequency charge transfer band emerge and become prominent at high laser intensities. Both modes are nonlinear processes, which are derived from the re-excitation and decay of the primary plasmon mode, respectively. Our results shed light on the localised characters of the plasmon-molecule coupling and hot electron distributions. These findings have general implications to photoinduced phenomena in nanosystems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mapping the near-field propagation of surface plasmons on terahertz metasurfaces

Controlling the propagation of surface plasmon polaritons is essential in developing highly integrated photonic devices. By using near-field scanning terahertz microscopy, we experimentally demonstrate that polarization-controlled tunable surface plasmons (SPs) could be directionally excited on a metal surface with carved columns of aperture resonators under special arrangement. The experimental results reveal that terahertz SPs could be unidirectionally launched in opposite directions owning to destructive and constructive interferences on the two sides with circularly polarized incident waves of opposite handedness. Meanwhile, the linearly polarized wave is able to excite the terahertz SPs along either side of the structures. The presented results would be useful to implement functional terahertz plasmonic devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Surface-plasmon enhanced photodetection at communication band based on hot electrons

Surface plasmons can squeeze light into a deep-subwavelength space and generate abundant hot electrons in the nearby metallic regions, enabling a new paradigm of photoconversion by the way of hot electron collection. Unlike the visible spectral range concerned in previous literatures, we focus on the communication band and design the infrared hot-electron photodetectors with plasmonic metal-insulator-metal configuration by using full-wave finite-element method. Titanium dioxide-silver Schottky interface is employed to boost the low-energy infrared photodetection. The photodetection sensitivity is strongly improved by enhancing the plasmonic excitation from a rationally engineered metallic grating, which enables a strong unidirectional photocurrent. With a five-step electrical simulation, the optimized device exhibits an unbiased responsivity of ∼0.1 mA/W and an ultra-narrow response band (FWHM = 4.66 meV), which promises to be a candidate as the compact photodetector operating in communication band.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fabrication of large area plasmonic nanoparticle grating structure on silver halide based transmission electron microscope film and its application as a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate

The plasmonic responses of silver nanoparticle grating structures of different periods made on silver halide based electron microscope film are investigated. Raster scan of the conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to carry out electron beam lithography for fabricating the plasmonic nanoparticle grating (PNG) structures. Morphological characterization of the PNG structures, carried out by the SEM and the atomic force microscope, indicates that the depth of the groove decreases with a decrease in the grating period. Elemental characterization performed by the energy dispersive spectroscopy and the x-ray diffraction shows the presence of nanoparticles of silver in the PNG grating. The optical characterization of the gratings shows that the localized surface plasmon resonance peak shifts from 366 to 378 nm and broadens with a decrease in grating period from 10 to 2.5 μm. The surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy of the Rhodamine-6G dye coated PNG structure shows the maximum enhancement by two orders of magnitude in comparison to the randomly distributed silver nanoparticles having similar size and shape as the PNG structure.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Plasmonic excitation-assisted optical and electric enhancement in ultra-thin solar cells: the influence of nano-strip cross section

The effects of Ag nano-strips with triangle, rectangular and trapezoid cross sections on the optical absorption, generation rate, and short-circuit current density of ultra-thin solar cells were investigated. By putting the nano-strips as a grating structure on the top of the solar cells, the waveguide, surface plasmon polariton (SPP), and localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes, which are excited with the assistance of nano-strips, were evaluated in TE and TM polarizations. The results show, firstly, the TM modes are more influential than TE modes in optical and electrical properties enhancement of solar cell, because of plasmonic excitations in TM mode. Secondly, the trapezoid nano-strips reveal noticeable impact on the optical absorption, generation rate, and short-circuit current density enhancement than triangle and rectangular ones. In particular, the absorption of long wavelengths which is a challenge in ultra-thin solar cells is significantly improved by using Ag trapezoid nano-strips.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Plasmon resonance and perfect light absorption in subwavelength trench arrays etched in gallium-doped zinc oxide film

Near-perfect light absorption in subwavelength trench arrays etched in highly conductive gallium-doped zinc oxide films was experimentally observed in the mid infrared regime. At wavelengths corresponding to the resonant excitation of surface plasmons, up to 99% of impinging light is efficiently trapped and absorbed in the periodic trenches. Scattering cross sectional calculations reveal that each individual trench acts like a vertical split ring resonator with a broad plasmon resonance spectrum. The coupling of these individual plasmon resonators in the grating structure leads to enhanced photon absorption and significant resonant spectral linewidth narrowing. Ellipsometry measurements taken before and after device fabrication result in different permittivity values for the doped zinc oxide material, indicating that localized annealing occurred during the plasma etching process due to surface heating. Simulations, which incorporate a 50 nm annealed region at the zinc oxide surface, are in a good agreement with the experimental results.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Plasmonic photocatalytic reactions enhanced by hot electrons in a one-dimensional quantum well

The plasmonic endothermic oxidation of ammonium ions in a spinning disk reactor resulted in light energy transformation through quantum hot charge carriers (QHC), or quantum hot electrons, during a chemical reaction. It is demonstrated with a simple model that light of various intensities enhance the chemical oxidization of ammonium ions in water. It was further observed that light illumination, which induces the formation of plasmons on a platinum (Pt) thin film, provided higher processing efficiency compared with the reaction on a bare glass disk. These induced plasmons generate quantum hot electrons with increasing momentum and energy in the one-dimensional quantum well of a Pt thin film. The energy carried by the quantum hot electrons provided the energy needed to catalyze the chemical reaction. The results indicate that one-dimensional confinement in spherical coordinates (i.e., nanoparticles) is not necessary to provide an extra excited state for QHC generation; an 8 nm Pt thin film for one-dimensional confinement in Cartesian coordinates can also provide the extra excited state for the generation of QHC.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modeling molecule-plasmon interactions using quantized radiation fields within time-dependent electronic structure theory

We present a combined cavity quantum electrodynamics/ab initio electronic structure approach for simulating plasmon-molecule interactions in the time domain. The simple Jaynes-Cummings-type model Hamiltonian typically utilized in such simulations is replaced with one in which the molecular component of the coupled system is treated in a fully ab initio way, resulting in a computationally efficient description of general plasmon-molecule interactions. Mutual polarization effects are easily incorporated within a standard ground-state Hartree-Fock computation, and time-dependent simulations carry the same formal computational scaling as real-time time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory. As a proof of principle, we apply this generalized method to the emergence of a Fano-like resonance in coupled molecule-plasmon systems; this feature is quite sensitive to the nanoparticle-molecule separation and the orientation of the molecule relative to the polarization of the external electric field.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Resonant tunneling assisted propagation and amplification of plasmons in high electron mobility transistors

A rigorous theoretical and computational model is developed for the plasma-wave propagation in high electron mobility transistor structures with electron injection from a resonant tunneling diode at the gate. We discuss the conditions in which low-loss and sustainable plasmon modes can be supported in such structures. The developed analytical model is used to derive the dispersion relation for these plasmon-modes. A non-linear full-wave-hydrodynamic numerical solver is also developed using a finite difference time domain algorithm. The developed analytical solutions are validated via the numerical solution. We also verify previous observations that were based on a simplified transmission line model. It is shown that at high levels of negative differential conductance, plasmon amplification is indeed possible. The proposed rigorous models can enable accurate design and optimization of practical resonant tunnel diode-based plasma-wave devices for terahertz sources, mixers, and detectors, by allowing a precise representation of their coupling when integrated with other electromagnetic structures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗