arXiv subjects

Paolo Maioli

Publications and source records attributed to Paolo Maioli.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Ultrafast nano generation of acoustic waves in water via a single carbon nanotube

Generation of ultra high frequency acoustic waves in water is key to nano resolution sensing, acoustic imaging and theranostics. In this context water immersed carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may act as an ideal optoacoustic source, due to their nanometric radial dimensions, peculiar thermal properties and broad band optical absorption. The generation mechanism of acoustic waves in water, upon excitation of both a single-wall (SW) and a multi-wall (MW) CNT with laser pulses of temporal width ranging from 5 ns down to ps, is theoretically investigated via a multi-scale approach. We show that, depending on the combination of CNT size and laser pulse duration, the CNT can act as a thermophone or a mechanophone. As a thermophone, the CNT acts as a nanoheater for the surrounding water, which, upon thermal expansion, launches the pressure wave. As a mechanophone, the CNT acts as a nanopiston, its thermal expansion directly triggering the pressure wave in water. Activation of the mechanophone effect is sought to trigger few nanometers wavelength sound waves in water, matching the CNT acoustic frequencies. This is at variance with respect to the commonly addressed case of water-immersed single metallic nano-objects excited with ns laser pulses, where only the thermophone effect significantly contributes. The present findings might be of impact in fields ranging from nanoscale non-destructive testing to water dynamics at the meso- to nano-scale.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Tuning photoacoustics with nanotransducers via Thermal Boundary Resistance and Laser Pulse Duration

The photoacoustic effect in liquids, generated by metal nanoparticles excited with short laser pulses, offers high contrast imaging and promising medical treatment techniques. Understanding the role of the thermal boundary resistance (TBR) and the laser pulse duration in the generation mechanism of acoustic waves is essential to implement efficient photoacoustic nanotransducers. This work theoretically investigates, for the paradigmatic case of water-immersed gold nanocylinders, the role of the TBR and of laser pulse duration in the competition between the launching mechanisms: the thermophone and the mechanophone. In the thermophone, the nanoparticle acts as a nanoheater and the wave is launched by water thermal expansion. In the mechanophone, the nanoparticle directly acts as a nanopiston. Specifically, for a gold-water interface, the thermophone prevails under ns light pulse irradiation, while the mechanophone dominates shortening the pulse to the 10 ps regime. For a graphene-functionalized gold-water interface, instead, the mechanophone dominates over the entire range of explored laser pulse durations. Results point to high-TBR, liquid-immersed nanoparticles as potentially efficient photoacoustic nanogenerators, with the advantage of keeping the liquid environment temperature unaltered.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Energy-Resolved Femtosecond Hot Electron Dynamics in Single Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Efficient excitation and harvesting of hot carriers from nanoscale metals is central to many emerging photochemical, photovoltaic, and ultrafast optoelectronic applications. Yet direct experimental evidence of the relevant femtosecond dynamics in ubiquitous tens-of-nanometer gold structures remains lacking, despite the rich interplay between interfacial and internal plasmonic fields, excitation distributions, and scattering processes. To explore the effects of nanoscale structure on these dynamics, we employ a new technique for simultaneous time-, angle-, and energy-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of single plasmonic nanoparticles. Photoelectron velocity distributions reveal bulk-like ballistic hot electron transport in nanorod and nanoshell geometries, with no evidence of surface effects. Energy-resolved dynamics observed in the ~1-2 eV range and extrapolated to lower energies via kinetic Boltzmann theory provide the first direct measurements of hot carrier lifetimes within nanoscale gold. Remarkably, we find that particles with dimensions as small as 10 nm serve as exemplary platforms for studying intrinsic metal dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Cooling dynamics and thermal interface resistance of glass-embedded metal nanoparticles

The cooling dynamics of glass-embedded noble metal nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 4 to 26 nm were studied using ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. Measurements were performed probing away from the surface plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles to avoid spurious effects due to glass heating around the particle. In these conditions, the time-domain data reflect the cooling kinetics of the nanoparticle. Cooling dynamics are shown to be controlled by both thermal resistance at the nanoparticule?glass interface, and heat diffusion in the glass matrix. Moreover, the interface conductances are deduced from the experiments and found to be correlated to the acoustic impedance mismatch at the metal/glass interface.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2003

Entanglement of a Mesoscopic Field with an Atom induced by Photon Graininess in a Cavity

We observe that a mesoscopic field made of several tens of microwave photons exhibits quantum features when interacting with a single Rydberg atom in a high-Q cavity. The field is split into two components whose phases differ by an angle inversely proportional to the square root of the average photon number. The field and the atomic dipole are phase-entangled. These manifestations of photon graininess vanish at the classical limit. This experiment opens the way to studies of large Schrodinger cat states at the quantum-classical boundary.

quant-ph↗