Experimental demonstration of surface selection rules for SERS on flat metallic surfaces

We have measured the polarization and incident angle dependence of the Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) signal of a nile blue monolayer adsorbed on a flat gold surface. Comparisons with predictions of electromagnetic (EM) theory indicate that the molecules are predominantly adsorbed flat on the surface. These results provide the most direct demonstration of the concept of surface selection rules in SERS, and further confirm the validity of the SERS-EM model beyond the |E|(4)-approximation.