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Acoustic Far-Field Hypersonic Surface Wave Detection with Single Plasmonic Nanoantennas
Rodrigo Berte1,2, Fabricio Della Picca3, Martín Poblet3
1The Blackett Laboratory, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
Physical Review Letters
|January 5, 2019
Summary
Researchers used gold nanoparticles to detect surface acoustic waves (SAWs). This study demonstrates optomechanical coupling for SAW emission and detection, bridging nanoscale vibrations and macroscopic optics.
Area of Science:
- Plasmonics
- Nanophotonics
- Acoustics
Background:
- Small metallic particles exhibit unique optical properties, linking sub-diffraction phenomena to macroscopic optical elements.
- Optomechanical coupling in gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) enables interaction between mechanical vibrations and optical responses via collective electronic oscillations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emission and detection of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) using single metallic nanoantennas.
- To probe SAW characteristics like frequency, speed, and amplitude decay over large distances using coupled Au NPs.
- To demonstrate the capability of detecting SAW-induced optical modulation even with detuned source and receptor eigenmodes.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing two Au nanoparticles as SAW source and receptor.
- Employing two-color pump-probe experiments.
- Applying numerical methods for analysis.
Main Results:
- Observed emission and detection of SAWs by single metallic nanoantennas.
- Characterized SAWs originating from damped coherent mechanical modes of the source.
- Confirmed Rayleigh wave behavior of emitted SAWs.
- Demonstrated accurate frequency probing of the source via SAW-induced optical modulation of the receptor, irrespective of eigenmode detuning.
Conclusions:
- Optomechanical coupling in Au NPs facilitates SAW generation and detection.
- Metallic nanoantennas can act as efficient sources and detectors of SAWs over macroscopic distances.
- This technique offers a robust method for probing acoustic wave properties and source frequencies in nanoscale systems.
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