Polarization-Sensitive Super-Resolution Phononic Reconstruction of Nanostructures

Fuentes-Domínguez, Rafael; Naznin, Shakila; La Cavera III, Salvatore; Cousins, Richard; Pérez-Cota, Fernando; Smith, Richard J.; Clark, Matt

Abstract

In this paper, we show for the first time the polarization-sensitive super-resolution phononic reconstruction of multiple nanostructures in a liquid environment by overcoming the diffraction limit of the optical system (1 μm). By using time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy, we measure the acoustic signature of nanospheres and nanorods at different polarizations. This enables the size, position, and orientation characterization of multiple nanoparticles in a single point spread function with the precision of 5 nm, 3 nm, and 1.4°, respectively. Unlike electron microscopy where a high vacuum environment is needed for imaging, this technique performs measurements in liquids at ambient pressure, ideal to study the insights of living specimens. This is a potential path toward super-resolution phononic imaging where the acoustic signatures of multiple nanostructures could act as an alternative to fluorescent labels. In this context, phonons also offer the opportunity to extract information about the mechanical properties of the surrounding medium as well as access to subsurface features.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 9, 2022
• Online Publication Date: May 18, 2022
• Publication Date: May 18, 2022
• Deposit Date: May 20, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: May 20, 2022
• Journal: ACS Photonics
• Electronic ISSN: 2330-4022
• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.1c01607
• Keywords: Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics; Biotechnology; Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/8137241
• Publisher URL: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsphotonics.1c01607