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Published on: June 5, 2019
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Second-harmonic chiroptical scattering spectroscopy from plasmonic nanohelices.
Optics Express
|May 4, 2026
Summary
Broadband nonlinear optical scattering reveals spectral trends in chiral nanostructures. This study links linear and nonlinear optical activity, enhancing characterization of nanoscale chirality.
Area of Science:
- Nonlinear Optics
- Plasmonics
- Nanochemistry
Background:
- Chiral harmonic scattering is a nonlinear optical technique for analyzing chiral nanostructures.
- Current limitations include narrow spectral ranges and limited comparison with linear chiroptical effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate broadband second-harmonic (SH) chiroptical scattering for chiral nanostructures.
- To investigate spectral trends and compare with linear optical properties.
- To explore the influence of scattering geometry on nonlinear optical signals.
Main Methods:
- Utilized gold and silver plasmonic nanohelices.
- Performed broadband SH chiroptical scattering over a 150 nm fundamental wavelength range (710-860 nm).
- Resolved nonlinear ellipticity spectra at ten discrete wavelengths and compared different scattering geometries.
Main Results:
- Observed distinct spectral trends between gold and silver nanohelices.
- Found correspondences between linear circular dichroism (CD) spectra and SH ellipticity spectra.
- Demonstrated geometry-dependent contrast consistent with hyper-Rayleigh scattering.
Conclusions:
- Established the feasibility of spectrally-resolved nonlinear chiroptical analysis.
- Provided insights into the physical links between linear and nonlinear optical activity in plasmonic nanostructures.
- Validated a minimal model of hyper-Rayleigh scattering for these systems.
