title: How To Light Special Hot Spots in Multiparticle-Film Configurations.
abstract: The precise control over the locations of hot spots in a nanostructured ensemble is of great importance in plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy, chemical sensing, and super-resolution optical imaging. However, for multiparticle configurations over metal films that involve localized and propagating surface plasmon modes, the locations of hot spots are difficult to predict due to complex plasmon competition and synergistic effects. In this work, theoretical simulations based on multiparticle-film configurations predict that the locations of hot spots can be efficiently controlled in the particle-particle gaps, the particle-film junctions, or in both, by suppressing or promoting specific plasmonic coupling effects in specific wavelength ranges. These findings offer an avenue to obtain strong Raman signals from molecules situated on single crystal surfaces and simultaneously avoid signal interference from particle-particle gaps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Xiamen University , Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Xiamen University , Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Ling-Yan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Xiamen University , Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Hang-Yong
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University , Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan, 430074, China.
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina , Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Xiamen University , Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Lin
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University , Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Qun
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Tian
keywords: hot spots; nanoparticle aggregates; plasmon competition and synergistic effects; shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS)