Open AccessLocal-field enhancement effect on the nonlinear optical response of gold-silver nanoplanets
Author(s) -
Tiziana Cesca,
Paolo Calvelli,
Giancarlo Battaglin,
P. Mazzoldi,
Giovanni Mattei
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.20.004537
Subject(s) - saturable absorption , materials science , absorption (acoustics) , optics , nonlinear optics , plasmon , attenuation coefficient , nonlinear system , optoelectronics , intensity (physics) , laser , fiber laser , physics , wavelength , quantum mechanics , composite material
We report on the nonlinear optical properties of Au-Ag nanoplanets produced by ion implantation and irradiation in silica, experimentally investigated by means of the single beam z-scan technique. The measurements provided experimental evidence of the intense local-field enhancement effect theoretically demonstrated for these plasmonic nanosystems. In particular, this has a dramatic impact on their nonlinear absorption behavior and results in a tunable changeover from reverse saturable absorption to saturable absorption by slightly varying the pump intensity and in the possibility to activate and observe nonlinear phenomena of the electron dynamics otherwise unaccessible in the intensity range that can be employed to study these materials. Finally, for the nanoplanet configuration we found a dramatic decrease of the intensity-dependent absorption coefficient, which could be very promising for obtaining optical gain materials.