International audienceElectron-lattice energy exchanges are investigated in gold and silver nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 30 to 2.2 nm embedded in different environments. Femtosecond pump-probe experiments performed in the low-perturbation regime demonstrate a strong increase of the intrinsic electron-phonon interaction for nanoparticles smaller than 10 nm due to a confinement effect

International audienceThe acoustic vibration of single gold nanoprism pairs on a glass substrate has been investigated in the time-domain combining a spatial modulation spectroscopy microscope with a high-sensitivity femtosecond pump−probe setup. Three modes were observed and ascribed to two in-plane and one out-of-plane vibration of the nanoprisms forming the pair, in agreement with a theoretical analysis. The periods of the two former modes with similar nature show weak (about 10%) and well correlated pair to pair fluctuations that can be unambiguously ascribed to variation of the prism geometry. In contrast, strong fluctuations, by almost a factor of 6, of the mode damping are evidenced with no correlation with their period. This indicates large variations of the prism-substrate coupling, providing a unique way for its local investigation

Using time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy, we have performed the first investigation of the vibrational modes of gold nanoshells. The fundamental isotropic mode launched by a femtosecond pump pulse manifests itself in a pronounced time-domain modulation of the differential transmission probed at the frequency of nanoshell surface plasmon resonance. The modulation amplitude is significantly stronger, and the period is longer than that in a gold nanoparticle of the same overall size, in agreement with theoretical calculations. This distinct acoustical signature of nanoshells provides a new and efficient method for identifying these versatile nanostructures and for studying their mechanical and structural properties.

Using ultrafast spectroscopy, we investigated electron-lattice coupling and acoustic vibrations in self-assembled silver nanocolumns embedded in an amorphous Al2O3 matrix. The measured electron-lattice energy exchange time is smaller in the nanocolumns than in bulk silver, with a value very close to that of isolated nanospheres with comparable surface to volume ratio. Two vibration modes were detected and ascribed to the breathing and extensional mode of the nanocolumns, in agreement with numerical simulations.