English

Interferometric Time-Resolved Probing of Acoustic Modes in Single Gold Nanospheres

Other Condensed Matter 2007-05-23 v1

Abstract

We measure the transient absorption of single gold particles with a common-path interferometer. The prompt electronic part of the signal provides high-contrast images for diameters as small as 10 nm. Mechanical vibrations of single particles appear on a longer timescale (period of 16 ps for 50 nm diameter). They reveal the full heterogeneity of the ensemble, and the intrinsic damping of the vibration. We also observe a lower-frequency mode involving shear. Ultra-fast pump-probe spectroscopy of individual particles opens new insight into mechanical properties of nanometer-sized objects.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0506401,
  title  = {Interferometric Time-Resolved Probing of Acoustic Modes in Single Gold Nanospheres},
  author = {Meindert A. van Dijk and Markus Lippitz and Michel Orrit},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0506401},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

4 pages, 4 figures and supplementary material (3 pages, 3 figures); submitted 18May05 to PRL