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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 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Comparison of electrostatic and localized plasmon induced light enhancement in hybrid InGaN/GaN quantum wells

The light enhancement phenomena in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) infiltrated with metal nanoparticles (NPs) are studied using resonant and off-resonant localized plasmon interactions. The emission and recombination characteristics of carriers in InGaN/GaN MQW structures with inverted hexagonal pits (IHPs) are modified distinctly depending on the nature of their interaction with the metal NPs and with the pumping and emitted photons. It is observed that the emission intensity of light is significantly enhanced when the emission energy is off-resonant to the localized plasmon frequency of the metal nanoparticles. This results in enhanced emission from MQW due to Au nanoparticles and from IHPs due to Ag nanoparticles. At resonant-plasmon frequency of the Ag NPs, the emission from MQWs is quenched due to the re-absorption of the emitted photons, or due to the drift carriers from c-plane MQWs towards the NPs because of the Coulomb forces induced by the image charge effect.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Quantum coherent plasmon in silver nanowires: A real-time TDDFT study

A plasmon-like phenomenon, arising from coinciding resonant excitations of different electronic characteristics in 1D silver nanowires, has been proposed based on theoretical linear absorption spectra. Such a molecular plasmon holds the potential for anisotropic nanoplasmonic applications. However, its dynamical nature remains unexplored. In this work, quantum dynamics of longitudinal and transverse excitations in 1D silver nanowires are carried out within the real-time time-dependent density functional theory framework. The anisotropic electron dynamics confirm that the transverse transitions of different electronic characteristics are collective in nature and oscillate in-phase with respect to each other. Analysis of the time evolutions of participating one-electron wave functions suggests that the transverse transitions form a coherent wave packet that gives rise to a strong plasmon resonance at the molecular level.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Plasmon dispersions in high electron mobility terahertz detectors

Low temperature, high magnetic field experiments were carried out with monochromatic terahertz (THz) sources to reveal multimode spectra of magnetoplasmons excited in gated and ungated samples processed on a high electron mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. We show that playing with the geometry and thickness of the gate one can control both the plasmon dispersion relation and selection rules for plasmon excitation, giving a tool to a better control of plasmon resonances in THz detectors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Multipole plasmon excitations of C{sub 60} dimers

We study the multipole plasmon mode frequencies of a pair of C{sub 60} molecules by means of the linearized hydrodynamic theory for electronic excitations on the each C{sub 60} surface. We apply the two-center spherical coordinate system for mathematical convenience and find an explicit form of the surface plasmon energies. Numerical result shows when approaching the two C{sub 60} molecules, the coupling between the bare plasmon modes leads to the appearance of additional modes having energies that are different from those of the isolated C{sub 60} molecules.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

On plasmon-induced photocurrent and doping of metal-patterned graphene

Patterning graphene with noble metal plasmonic nanostructures to enhance and to manipulate the optical and electronic properties of graphene promises a variety of technological innovations in the field of nano-optoelectronics. In this report, we briefly revisit photoconduction experiments done recently on graphene plasmonic sensors and show that the excess electrical current generated in response to spatially non-uniform optical excitation is primarily induced by a photo-thermo-electric effect in the graphene itself. As this mechanism has nothing to do with the excess free carrier generation common with conventional semiconductors, the plasmonic nanostructures cannot be utilized to regulate the free carrier density and doping of graphene, in contrast to what has been proposed recently.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

On the role of terahertz field acceleration and beaming of surface plasmon generated ultrashort electron pulses

A mechanism for control of the energy and pitch angle of surface plasmon accelerated electron pulses is proposed. Electrons generated via multi-photon absorption in a silver film on a glass prism are ponderomotively accelerated in the surface plasmon field excited by a 30 fs, 800 nm optical pulse. Through introduction of a single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulse, the energy spectrum and trajectory of the generated electron pulse can be controlled via the THz field strength. Generated electron pulses achieve peak kinetic energies up to 1.56 keV, while utilizing an incident optical field strength five times less than comparable plasmon accelerated electron pulses. These results demonstrate that THz pulses can be utilized to achieve tunable, high energy, trajectory controlled electron pulses necessary for various applications that require ultrafast electron pulse manipulation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

The effect of holes in the dispersion relation of propagative surface plasmon modes of nanoperforated semitransparent metallic films

We have analysed the effect that holes have on the properties of propagative surface plasmon modes in semitransparent nanoperforated Au films. The modes have been excited in Kretschmann configuration. Contrary to continuous films, where only one mode is excited, two modes are observed in Au nanohole array. The origin of this different behavior is discussed using effective optical properties for the nanoperforated films. The presence of the holes affects the effective optical constants of the membranes in two ways: it changes the contribution of the free electrons, and it gives rise to a localized transition due to a hole induced plasmon resonance. This localized transition interacts with the propagative surface plasmon modes, originating the two detected modes.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Probing plasmonic breathing modes optically

The confinement of surface plasmon modes in flat nanoparticles gives rise to plasmonic breathing modes. With a vanishing net dipole moment, breathing modes do not radiate, i.e., they are optically dark. Having thus escaped optical detection, breathing modes were only recently revealed in silver nanodisks with electron energy loss spectroscopy in an electron microscope. We show that for disk diameters >200 nm, retardation induced by oblique optical illumination relaxes the optically dark character. This makes breathing modes and thus the full plasmonic mode spectrum accessible to optical spectroscopy. The experimental spectroscopy data are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Plasmonic behavior of gold nanorod heterodimers with free-electron feed

The plasmon coupling between metal nanostructures can lead to huge local electric field enhancement and new plasmon modes. Here, we study the effect of the close proximity of two gold nanorod particles on the modification of localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes of the individual on gold nanorod in spectral and spatial domain using cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy and imaging in a high resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM). Significantly enhanced resonant emission is observed from the nanorod dimers when the electron beam is injected around the junction between the rods, where the local density of electromagnetic states is raised.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Resonant quantum efficiency enhancement of midwave infrared nBn photodetectors using one-dimensional plasmonic gratings

We demonstrate up to 39% resonant enhancement of the quantum efficiency (QE) of a low dark current nBn midwave infrared photodetector with a 0.5 μm InAsSb absorber layer. The enhancement was achieved by using a 1D plasmonic grating to couple incident light into plasmon modes propagating in the plane of the device. The plasmonic grating is composed of stripes of deposited amorphous germanium overlaid with gold. Devices with and without gratings were processed side-by-side for comparison of their QEs and dark currents. The peak external QE for a grating device was 29% compared to 22% for a mirror device when the illumination was polarized perpendicularly to the grating lines. Additional experiments determined the grating coupling efficiency by measuring the reflectance of analogous gratings deposited on bare GaSb substrates.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Enhanced photoluminescence of Si nanocrystals-doped cellulose nanofibers by plasmonic light scattering

We report the development of bio-compatible cellulose nanofibers doped with light emitting silicon nanocrystals and Au nanoparticles via facile electrospinning. By performing photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy as a function of excitation wavelength, we demonstrate plasmon-enhanced PL by a factor of 2.2 with negligible non-radiative quenching due to plasmon-enhanced scattering of excitation light from Au nanoparticles to silicon nanocrystals inside the nanofibers. These findings provide an alternative approach for the development of plasmon-enhanced active systems integrated within the compact nanofiber geometry. Furthermore, bio-compatible light-emitting nanofibers prepared by a cost-effective solution-based processing are very promising platforms for biophotonic applications such as fluorescence sensing and imaging.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Plasmon-induced dynamics of H{sub 2} splitting on a silver atomic chain

Localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) supported in metal nanostructures can be efficiently harnessed to drive photocatalytic reactions, whose atomic scale mechanism remains a challenge. Here, real-time dynamics of H{sub 2} photosplitting on a linear silver atomic chain, upon exposure to femtosecond laser pulses, has been investigated using time-dependent density functional theory. The wavelength dependent H{sub 2} splitting process is strongly coupled to LSPR excitation in silver chain. We identify that hot electrons produced in the silver chain by plasmon excitation are transferred to the antibonding state of the adsorbed H{sub 2} and trigger H{sub 2} dissociation, consistent with experimental observations. Increasing illumination intensity and the length of atomic chain promote H{sub 2} splitting, thanks to stronger LSPR. Dynamic electronic response can be quantitatively described within the present approach, providing insights towards a complete fundamental understanding on plasmon-induced chemical reactions at the microscopic scale.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Double-shelled plasmonic Ag-TiO{sub 2} hollow spheres toward visible light-active photocatalytic conversion of CO{sub 2} into solar fuel

Double-shelled hollow hybrid spheres consisting of plasmonic Ag and TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles were successfully synthesized through a simple reaction process. The analysis reveals that Ag nanoparticles were dispersed uniformly in the TiO{sub 2} nanoparticle shell. The plasmonic Ag-TiO{sub 2} hollow sphere proves to greatly enhance the photocatalytic activity toward reduction of CO{sub 2} into renewable hydrocarbon fuel (CH{sub 4}) in the presence of water vapor under visible-light irradiation. The possible formation mechanism of the hollow sphere and related plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic performance were also briefly discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Resonance hybridization and near field properties of strongly coupled plasmonic ring dimer-rod nanosystem

Combined effects of polarization, split gap, and rod width on the resonance hybridization and near field properties of strongly coupled gold dimer-rod nanosystem are comparatively investigated in the light of the constituent nanostructures. By aligning polarization of the incident light parallel to the long axis of the nanorod, introducing small split gaps to the dimer walls, and varying width of the nanorod, we have simultaneously achieved resonance mode coupling, huge near field enhancement, and prolonged plasmon lifetime. As a result of strong coupling between the nanostructures and due to an intense confinement of near fields at the split and dimer-rod gaps, the extinction spectrum of the coupled nanosystem shows an increase in intensity and blueshift in wavelength. Consequently, the near field lifespan of the split-nanosystem is prolonged in contrast to the constituent nanostructures and unsplit-nanosystem. On the other hand, for polarization of the light perpendicular to the long axis of the nanorod, the effect of split gap on the optical responses of the coupled nanosystem is found to be insignificant compared to the parallel polarization. These findings and such geometries suggest that coupling an array of metallic split-ring dimer with long nanorod can resolve the huge radiative loss problem of plasmonic waveguide. In addition, the Fano-like resonances and immense near field enhancements at the split and dimer-rod gaps imply the potentials of the nanosystem for practical applications in localized surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and sensing.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Metallic nanoparticle shape and size effects on aluminum oxide-induced enhancement of exciton-plasmon coupling and quantum dot emission

We investigate the shape and size effects of gold metallic nanoparticles on the enhancement of exciton-plasmon coupling and emission of semiconductor quantum dots induced via the simultaneous impact of metal-oxide and plasmonic effects. This enhancement occurs when metallic nanoparticle arrays are separated from the quantum dots by a layered thin film consisting of a high index dielectric material (silicon) and aluminum oxide. Our results show that adding the aluminum oxide layer can increase the degree of polarization of quantum dot emission induced by metallic nanorods by nearly two times, when these nanorods have large aspect ratios. We show when the aspect ratio of these nanorods is reduced to half, the aluminum oxide loses its impact, leading to no improvement in the degree of polarization. These results suggest that a silicon/aluminum oxide layer can significantly enhance exciton-plasmon coupling when quantum dots are in the vicinity of metallic nanoantennas with high aspect ratios.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Frequency-tunable continuous-wave terahertz sources based on GaAs plasmonic photomixers

We present frequency-tunable, continuous-wave terahertz sources based on GaAs plasmonic photomixers, which offer high terahertz radiation power levels at 50% radiation duty cycle. The use of plasmonic contact electrodes enhances photomixer quantum efficiency while maintaining its ultrafast operation by concentrating a large number of photocarriers in close proximity to the device contact electrodes. Additionally, the relatively high thermal conductivity and high resistivity of GaAs allow operation under high optical pump power levels and long duty cycles without reaching the thermal breakdown limit of the photomixer. We experimentally demonstrate continuous-wave terahertz radiation with a radiation frequency tuning range of more than 2 THz and a record-high radiation power of 17 μW at 1 THz through plasmonic photomixers fabricated on a low temperature grown GaAs substrate at 50% radiation duty cycle.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Investigation of plasmon resonance tunneling through subwavelength hole arrays in highly doped conductive ZnO films

Experimental results pertaining to plasmon resonance tunneling through a highly conductive zinc oxide (ZnO) layer with subwavelength hole-arrays is investigated in the mid-infrared regime. Gallium-doped ZnO layers are pulsed-laser deposited on a silicon wafer. The ZnO has metallic optical properties with a bulk plasma frequency of 214 THz, which is equivalent to a free space wavelength of 1.4 μm. Hole arrays with different periods and hole shapes are fabricated via a standard photolithography process. Resonant mode tunneling characteristics are experimentally studied for different incident angles and compared with surface plasmon theoretical calculations and finite-difference time-domain simulations. Transmission peaks, higher than the baseline predicted by diffraction theory, are observed in each of the samples at wavelengths that correspond to the excitation of surface plasmon modes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Au plasmonics in a WS{sub 2}-Au-CuInS{sub 2} photocatalyst for significantly enhanced hydrogen generation

Promoting the activities of photocatalysts is still the critical challenge in H{sub 2} generation area. Here, a Au plasmon enhanced photocatalyst of WS{sub 2}-Au-CuInS{sub 2} is developed by inserting Au nanoparticles between WS{sub 2} nanotubes and CuInS{sub 2} (CIS) nanoparticles. Due to the localized surface plasmonic resonance properties from Au nanoparticles, WS{sub 2}-Au-CIS shows the best performance as compared to Au-CIS, CIS, WS{sub 2}-CIS, CIS-Au, WS{sub 2}-Au, and WS{sub 2}-CIS-Au. The surface plasmonic resonance effects dramatically intensify the absorption of visible light and help to inject hot electrons into the semiconductors. Our findings open up an efficient method to optimize the type-II structures for photocatalytic water splitting.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗