Alan R Bowman, Alvaro Rodríguez Echarri, Fatemeh Kiani, Fadil Iyikanat, Ted V Tsoulos, Joel D Cox, Ravishankar Sundararaman, F Javier García de Abajo, Giulia Tagliabue
Luminescence constitutes a unique source of insight into hot carrier processes in metals, including those in plasmonic nanostructures used for sensing and energy applications. However, being weak in nature, metal luminescence remains poorly understood, its microscopic origin strongly debated, and its potential for unraveling nanoscale carrier dynamics largely unexploited. Here, we reveal quantum-mechanical effects in the luminescence emanating from thin monocrystalline gold flakes. Specifically, we present experimental evidence, supported by first-principles simulations, to demonstrate its photoluminescence origin (i...
April 19, 2024: Light, Science & Applications