Surface-plasmon control of ultrafast energy-relaxation modes in photoexcited Au nanorods probed by time-resolved single-particle X-ray imaging.

ABSTRACT: Ultrafast laser excitation can drive materials into exotic states beyond thermodynamic limits, offering alternative ways to control how matter stores and releases energy. Yet, whether light can actively steer energy-relaxation pathways during structural transitions remains unclear due to the lack of direct experimental evidence. Here we show, using single-pulse time-resolved X-ray imaging of gold nanorods, that photoinduced localized surface plasmons control ultrafast energy relaxation into distinct deformation modes, transverse or longitudinal deformation modes, each accompanied by characteristic plasmon-induced oscillatory distortions depending on the laser fluence. Numerical simulations further confirm that localized surface plasmons dictate ultrafast energy relaxation process from phot

SUBMITTER: Park E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12603257 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature