PhD Dissertation Proposal Defense by Angel Rose Thomas
Advisor: Dr. Wei-Shun Chang
Committee members: Dr. Shuowei Cai, Dr. Milana Vasudev
Abstract: Characterizing the chirality of plasmonic nanostructures at the single-particle level is crucial to reveal structure–optochirality relationships. Single-particle dark-field scattering spectroscopy is commonly used to measure circular differential scattering (CDS) owing to its high throughput, ease of implementation, and high spectroscopic resolution. However, conventional CDS measurement setups suffer from linear dichroism artifacts, limiting measurement accuracy and leading to significant uncertainty in detecting weak chirality. To address these limitations, this work aims to develop a modified CDS configuration that simultaneously detects left- and right-handed circularly polarized components, along with a dual-measurement correction scheme to eliminate linear dichroism artifacts. Building on this platform, the project will investigate plasmon-coupled circular dichroism (PCCD) in DNA-functionalized gold nanorods at the single-particle level, to elucidate how molecular structure‚ orientation‚ and position influence chiroptical responses beyond ensemble-averaged measurements․ Additionally, the study will also explore plexcitonic chirality in the systems composed of chiral helical plasmonic nanorods and J-aggregate excitons and understand the mechanism of strong coupling in this chiral hybrid system. These advances will provide deep insight for the understanding of nanoscale chirality in the application of chiral sensing, optical communication, and nanophotonics.
Meeting ID: 955 2466 7221
Password: 715764
SENG-311/VIRTUAL
Rachel White
508-999-8232
rwhite@umassd.edu
https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95524667221?pwd=EGg0bjjvwlh5GvSbzpKW9LD8RbZrES.1