Abstract:
In experiments using a device dubbed the "nanoscale flashlight," a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have applied a new nanoscale spectroscopic technique to studies of the collective oscillations of electrons in individual gold nanoparticles and their assemblies. A deeper understanding of these oscillations and their interactions will not only provide a foundation for research in the new and emerging field of nanoplasmonics, but may have practical applications in the ultrasensitive detection of chemical and biological molecules.