title: Photothermal single particle Rutherford scattering microscopy.
abstract: We demonstrate that the quantum-mechanical description of Rutherford scattering has a photonic counterpart in a new form of single particle photothermal microscopy. Using a split detector we provide experimental evidence that photons are deflected by a photothermal potential that is created by a local refractive index change around a heated nanoparticle. The deflection experienced is shown to be the analog to the deflection of a massive particle wave packet in unscreened spinless Coulomb scattering. The experimentally found focal detection geometry reveals a lateral split feature which will allow new correlation-based velocimetry experiments of absorbing particles with ultrahigh sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Nanophotonics Group, Institute of Experimental Physics I, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Selmke
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cichos
mesh_terms: D000512:Alpha Particles; D006361:Heating; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D011789:Quantum Theory; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013816:Thermodynamics