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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this work is to calculate the vibrational modes of an elastically anisotropic sphere embedded in an isotropic matrix. This has important application to understanding the spectra of low-frequency Raman scattering from nanoparticles embedded in a glass matrix. First some low frequency vibrational modes of a free cubically elastic sphere are found to be nearly independent of one combination of elastic constants. This is then exploited to obtain an isotropic approximation for these modes which enables to take into account the surrounding isotropic matrix. This method is then used to quantatively explain recent spectra of gold and copper nanocrystals in glasses. Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures
09/2010;
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ABSTRACT: The vibrations of a coupled pair of isotropic silver spheres are investigated and compared with the vibrations of the single isolated spheres. Situations of both strong coupling and also weak coupling are investigated using continuum elasticity and perturbation theory. The numerical calculation of the eigenmodes of such dimers is augmented with a symmetry analysis. This checks the convergence and applicability of the numerical method and shows how the eigenmodes of the dimer are constructed from those of the isolated spheres. The frequencies of the lowest frequency vibrations of such dimers are shown to be very sensitive to the strength of the coupling between the spheres. Some of these modes can be detected by inelastic light scattering and time-resolved optical measurements which provides a convenient way to study the nature of the mechanical coupling in dimers of micro and nanoparticles. Comment: expanded version, 8 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables
12/2009;
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ABSTRACT: Control of nanocrystal (NC) crystallinity currently raises great interest because of its potential benefits in both physics modeling and technological applications. Advances in methods for synthesizing perfect single-crystalline NCs are recent, so that the effect of crystallinity on NC properties has received only limited study and still needs to be properly investigated. Here, we report that crystallinity of gold NCs dramatically modifies their vibrations. Using low-frequency Raman scattering, we clearly demonstrate that single-domain NCs vibrate differently than their multiply twinned counterparts, through the splitting of the quadrupolar vibrations, which is only observed for the former. Using the resonant ultrasound approach, we calculate the vibrational frequencies of a gold sphere and show that elastic anisotropy induces a lift of degeneracy of the quadrupolar mode in good agreement with our experimental measurements. These findings open up challenging perspectives on using Raman spectroscopy to characterize nanocrystallinity.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10/2008; 105(39):14784-9. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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J Margueritat,
J Gonzalo,
C N Afonso,
U Hörmann,
G Van Tendeloo,
A Mlayah, D B Murray,
L Saviot,
Y Zhou,
M H Hong,
B S Luk'yanchuk
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ABSTRACT: We report the preparation of a new type of nanocomposite containing cobalt and silver nanoparticles organized in parallel layers with a well controlled separation. This arrangement allows the observation of an enhanced low-frequency Raman signal at the vibration frequency of cobalt nanoparticles excited through the surface plasmons of silver nanoparticles. Numerical simulations of the electric field confirm the emergence of hot spots when the separation between silver and cobalt nanoparticles is small enough.
Nanotechnology 09/2008; 19(37):375701. · 3.98 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A sphere-like virus in water is modeled as a homogeneous isotropic elastic continuum sphere in contact with an infinite viscous compressible Newtonian fluid. The frequencies and damping of the confined vibrational modes of the sphere are calculated for the material parameters of a virus in water. While the effects of viscosity are found to be negligible for a virus-like sphere of macroscopic size, for nanoscale viruses both the frequency and damping of the vibrational modes are significantly affected by the viscosity of the water. Furthermore, both shear viscosity and bulk viscosity play an important role.
Journal of Physics Conference Series 12/2007; 92(1):012036.
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ABSTRACT: Optical and vibrational properties of silver nanolentils, nanospheres, and nanocolumns are studied experimentally using optical
transmission spectroscopy and low-frequency Raman scattering. The split of the surface plasmon–polariton resonance into transverse
and longitudinal components due to the squeezing or to the elongation of the nanospheres is clearly observed. The vibration
band frequencies are demonstrated to be strongly related to the average in-plane diameter, while the quadrupolar vibration
modes observed depend on the shape of the nanoparticles.
Applied Physics A 10/2007; 89(2):369-372. · 1.63 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Analysis of the spheroidal modes of vibration of a free elastic sphere show that they can be qualitatively grouped into two categories: primarily longitudinal and primarily transverse. This is not a sharp distinction. However, there is a relatively stark contrast between the two kinds of modes. Primarily transverse modes have a small divergence and have frequencies that are almost functionally independent of the longitudinal speed of sound. Analysis of inelastic light scattering intensity from confined acoustic phonons in nanoparticles requires an understanding of this qualitative distinction between different spheroidal modes. In addition, some common misconceptions about spheroidal modes are corrected.
07/2005;
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ABSTRACT: Arbitrary waves incident on a solid embedded nanoparticle are studied. The acoustic vibrational frequencies are shown to correspond to the poles of the scattering cross section in the complex frequency plane. The location of the poles is unchanged even if the incident wave is nonplanar. A second approach approximating the infinite matrix as a very large shell surrounding the nanoparticle provides an alternate way of predicting the mode frequencies. The wave function of the vibration is also provided.
11/2004;
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ABSTRACT: The nearly dispersionless, so-called "optical" vibrational modes observed by inelastic neutron scattering from icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn and Zn-Mg-Y quasicrystals are found to correspond well to modes of a continuum elastic sphere that has the same diameter as the corresponding icosahedral basic units of the quasicrystal. When the sphere is considered as free, most of the experimentally found modes can be accounted for, in both systems. Taking into account the mechanical connection between the clusters and the remainder of the quasicrystal allows a complete assignment of all optical modes in the case of Al-Pd-Mn. This approach provides support to the relevance of clusters in the vibrational properties of quasicrystals.
06/2004;
