Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of New Mexico

Thesis and Dissertation Defenses

Plasmon-Induced Color and Photochemistry

Presented by Paul Gieri

In recent decades, metallic nanostructures have been extensively studied for a variety of applications due to the ability to support surface plasmons. These excitations, which consist of collective resonant oscillations of the conduction electrons, couple strongly to visible light, confining it into subwavelength volumes. In the first part of this talk, we study the optical response of metallic nanostructures supported by metallic substrates. We demonstrate that these systems support a charge transfer plasmon mode, whose frequency is primarily determined by the geometry of the contact area between the nanoparticle and the substrate. In the following part, we exploit this knowledge to explain the optical properties of daguerreotypes, the first successful photographic technology. In the last part of this talk, we demonstrate that, thanks to their plasmons, titanium nitride nanoparticles can act as efficient photocatalysts outperforming conventional plasmonic materials.

2:00 pm, Friday, October 16, 2020
Zoom,

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A schedule of talks within the Department of Physics and Astronomy is available on the P&A web site at http://physics.unm.edu/pandaweb/events/index.php