Inelastic neutron scattering due to acoustic vibrations confined in nanoparticles: theory and experiment

The inelastic scattering of neutrons by nanoparticles due to acoustic vibrational modes (energy below 10 meV) confined in nanoparticles is calculated using the Zemach-Glauber formalism. Such vibrational modes are commonly observed by light scattering techniques (Brillouin or low-frequency Raman scattering). We also report high resolution inelastic neutron scattering measurements for anatase TiO2 nanoparticles in a loose powder. Factors enabling the observation of such vibrations are discussed. These include a narrow nanoparticle size distribution which minimizes inhomogeneous broadening of the spectrum and the presence of hydrogen atoms oscillating with the nanoparticle surfaces which enhances the number of scattered neutrons.Comment: 3 figures, 1 tabl

Spectroscopic determination of hole density in the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1−x_{1-x}Mnx_{x}As

The measurement of the hole density in the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga$_{1-x}$Mn$_{x}$As is notoriously difficult using standard transport techniques due to the dominance of the anomalous Hall effect. Here, we report the first spectroscopic measurement of the hole density in four Ga$_{1-x}$Mn$_{x}$As samples ($x=0, 0.038, 0.061, 0.083$) at room temperature using Raman scattering intensity analysis of the coupled plasmon-LO-phonon mode and the unscreened LO phonon. The unscreened LO phonon frequency linearly decreases as the Mn concentration increases up to 8.3%. The hole density determined from the Raman scattering shows a monotonic increase with increasing $x$ for $x\leq0.083$, exhibiting a direct correlation to the observed $T_c$. The optical technique reported here provides an unambiguous means of determining the hole density in this important new class of ``spintronic'' semiconductor materials.Comment: two-column format 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review

Sub-harmonic resonant excitation of confined acoustic modes at GHz frequencies with a high-repetition-rate femtosecond laser

We propose sub-harmonic resonant optical excitation with femtosecond lasers as a new method for the characterization of phononic and nanomechanical systems in the gigahertz to terahertz frequency range. This method is applied for the investigation of confined acoustic modes in a free-standing semiconductor membrane. By tuning the repetition rate of a femtosecond laser through a sub-harmonic of a mechanical resonance we amplify the mechanical amplitude, directly measure the linewidth with megahertz resolution, infer the lifetime of the coherently excited vibrational states, accurately determine the system's quality factor, and determine the amplitude of the mechanical motion with femtometer resolution

Production, bleaching and characterization of pulp from Stipa tenacissima

Alfa grass pulping was successfully performed in hydro-organic acid medium under mild conditions (107°C, atmospheric pressure, cooking time: 3 h). Use of an acetic acid/formic acid/water mixture as pulping liquor was perfectly suitable for selective isolation of pulp, lignin, and hemicelluloses. The unbleached pulp obtained in good yield was first delignified by peroxyacids in organic acid medium and then bleached with hydrogen peroxide in a basic medium to give pulp offering good physico-chemical and mechanical characteristics

On the application of surface enhanced Raman scattering to study the interaction of DsRed fluorescent proteins with silver nanoparticles embedded in thin silica layers

The interaction of proteins with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is of primary importance to uncover silver antimicrobial efficiency and environmental hazard. This interaction can affect silver reactivity, bioavailability and, eventually, silver toxicity towards the environmental media. Detection of the interaction of DsRed fluorescent proteins with AgNPs embedded in thin silica layers is demonstrated using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), but deep analyses require the design and elaboration of dedicated plasmonic substrates giving a high enhancement factor

Raman scattering reveals strong LO-phonon-hole-plasmon coupling in nominally undoped GaAsBi: optical determination of carrier concentration

We report room-temperature Raman scattering studies of nominally undoped (100) GaAs1−xBix epitaxial layers exhibiting Biinduced (p-type) longitudinal-optical-plasmon coupled (LOPC) modes for 0.018≤x≤0.048. Redshifts in the GaAs-like optical modes due to alloying are evaluated and are paralleled by strong damping of the LOPC. The relative integrated Raman intensities of LO(Γ) and LOPC ALO/ALOPC are characteristic of heavily doped p-GaAs, with a remarkable near total screening of the LO(Γ) phonon (ALO/ALOPC →0) for larger Bi concentrations. A method of spectral analysis is set out which yields estimates of hole concentrations in excess of 5 × 1017 cm−3 and correlates with the Bi molar fraction. These findings are in general agreement with recent electrical transport measurements performed on the alloy, and while the absolute size of the hole concentrations differ, likely origins for the discrepancy are discussed. We conclude that the damped LO-phonon-hole-plasmon coupling phenomena plays a dominant role in Raman scattering from unpassivated nominally undoped GaAsBi

Plasmoelectronic properties of self-assembled gold nanoparticles: impedance spectroscopy experiments combined with numerical simulations

Plasmoelectronics is a fast developing field driven by the combination of charge transport and surface plasmons in metal nanostructures. In this paper, we report on theoretical and experimental investigations of the plasmoelectronic properties of self-assembled monolayers of colloidal gold nanoparticles (NPs). A local plasmonic-electronic nanojunction is introduced, as the fundamental building block of a mesoscale electrical network, and serves as the beginning point for the development of a multiscale modeling strategy. The interparticle charge tunneling and accumulation account for the dynamical charge transport; the plasmoelectronic properties are implemented at the nanoscale using electrodynamic calculations based on the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) method. The electric characteristics of the macroscopic NP network are calculated using a numerical resolution of the currentbias equations based on Kirchhoff's laws. Disorder effects due to size and position fluctuations of the NPs within the network as well as dislocations and point defects in their spatial arrangement are taken into account. The effects of light excitation intensity and wavelength on the nanojunction photoconductance and on the macroscopic photoresistance of the NP network are addressed. In particular, plasmoelectronic conduction paths are extracted from the coupled DDA-Kirchhoff numerical simulations, and their statistical distribution is investigated as well as their dependence on path length. The theoretical results are compared with impedance spectroscopy measurements performed under optical excitation. We found a good agreement between the predicted impedance Nyquist plots and resonance properties, and the measurements. In particular, we were able to estimate the surface plasmon-assisted photoelectric conversion efficiency involving first neighbor NPs. We found that the photoconductance of a single nanojunction formed by a dimer of nearly touching NPs is around 18 nS/W/cm 2 under resonant plasmonic excitation. The presented work provides insight into the photoinduced charge transport in selfassembled NP networks and opens the route to novel applications in the field of plasmoelectronics

Observation of standing acoustic waves by resonant Raman scattering

errata :http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v79/i18/p3544_2Resonant Raman measurements on GaAsyGaP quantum wells, as thin as one monolayer, are reported. The work is focused on the low-frequency scattering range, which exhibits a continuous emission and periodic oscillations that have never been observed up to now. It is shown that spatial localization of electrons leads to Raman scattering processes for which momentum is not conserved, and hence to the activation of the density of states of acoustic phonons. A model, based on electron-acoustic phonon interaction, is developed and used for calculations of the resonant Raman efficiency. A good agreement with measured spectra is obtained. The origin of the observed periodic oscillations is interpreted by considering standing acoustic waves.This work was supported financially by the French/Spanish Picasso program.Peer reviewe

Size dispersion effects on the low-frequency Raman scattering of quasispherical silver nanoparticles: Experiment and theory

The coupling between surface plasmon polaritons and confined acoustic vibrations in embedded silver nanoparticles is studied both theoretically and experimentally. The inelastic light scattering spectra simulated assuming deformation potential and surface orientation mechanisms are quantitatively compared to Raman measurements. The effects of size distribution (width and profile) and excitation energy on the low-frequency Raman spectra are addressed in this work and used to provide a characterization tool of the size distribution of metal nanoparticles. The quantitative agreement between measured and simulated spectra supports the fact that the surface orientation mechanism gives the dominant contribution to the resonant Raman scattering mediated by surface plasmon polaritons. © 2007 The American Physical Society.This work was partially supported by MAT2005-06508- C02-01, MEC Spain. J.M. acknowledges financial support from the CSIC and the European Social Fund.Peer Reviewe