NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Nanoscale Imaging of Plasmonic Hot Spots and Dark Modes with the Photothermal Induced Resonance Technique
Published
Author(s)
Basudev Lahiri, Glenn E. Holland, Vladimir A. Aksyuk, Andrea Centrone
Abstract
The collective oscillation of conduction electrons, responsible for the LSPRs, enables engineering nanomaterials by tuning their optical response from the visible to THz as a function of nanostructure size, shape and environment. While theoretical calculations helped tremendously in understanding plasmonic nanomaterials and optimizing their light matter-interaction, only a few experimental techniques are available to study these materials with high spatial resolution. In this work, the Photo Thermal Induced Resonance (PTIR) technique is applied for the first time to image the dark plasmonic resonance of gold Asymmetric Split Ring Resonators (A-SRRs) in the mid-infrared (IR) spectral region with nanoscale resolution. Additionally, the chemically-specific PTIR signal is used to map the local absorption enhancement of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) coated on A-SRRs, revealing hot spots with local enhancement factors up to ≈ 30 at 100 nm lateral resolution. We argue that PTIR nanoscale characterization will facilitate the engineering and application of plasmonic nanomaterials for mid-IR applications.
Lahiri, B.
, Holland, G.
, Aksyuk, V.
and Centrone, A.
(2013),
Nanoscale Imaging of Plasmonic Hot Spots and Dark Modes with the Photothermal Induced Resonance Technique, Nano Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=913430
(Accessed October 2, 2025)