1. Hot Electron Generation and Cathodoluminescence Nanoscopy of Chiral Split Ring Resonators
- Author
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Lei Shao, Mikael Käll, Yurui Fang, Ruggero Verre, and Peter Nordlander
- Subjects
Circular dichroism ,Nanostructure ,Materials science ,business.industry ,Mechanical Engineering ,Surface plasmon ,Nanowire ,Physics::Optics ,Bioengineering ,Nanotechnology ,Cathodoluminescence ,02 engineering and technology ,General Chemistry ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,Optoelectronics ,General Materials Science ,Photonics ,0210 nano-technology ,business ,Circular polarization ,Plasmon - Abstract
Three-dimensional chiral plasmonic nanostructures have been shown to be able to dramatically boost photon-spin selective light-matter interactions, potentially leading to novel photonics, molecular spectroscopy, and light-harvesting applications based on circularly polarized light. Here, we show that chiral split-ring gold nanoresonators interfaced to a wide band gap semiconductor exhibit a contrast in hot-electron transfer rate between left-handed and right-handed visible light that essentially mimics the far-field circular dichroism of the structures. We trace down the origin of this effect to the differential excitation of the thinnest part of the split-ring structures using dichroic-sensitive cathodoluminescence imaging with nanometer spatial resolution. The results highlight the intricate interplay between the near-field and far-field chiral response of a nanostructure and establishes a clear link to the emerging field of hot carrier plasmonics with numerous potential applications in photocatalysis and solar light harvesting.
- Published
- 2016