2008 DEC 29 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to a study from Shanghai, People's Republic of China, "The reflection and absorption spectra of gallium phosphide (GaP) nanoparticles were measured. The radiative transfer equation (RTE) for the medium with scattering and absorption is solved by three different solutions."

  "The ratio of the absorption and scattering coefficients (E (a)/E (s)) of the GaP nanoparticles layer is calculated from the reflection spectrum via the three solutions, respectively, and the result derived with the three-flux model is closest to the exact solution given by Giovanelli. The E (a)/E (s) curves all exhibit the energy band gaps of GaP nanoparticles, which are consistent with the absorption spectrum measurement. The shape of the reflection spectrum is mainly determined by the absorption, and the scattering only influences its intensity," wrote Q. Zhang and colleagues, Shanghai University ...read more

  2008 NOV 3 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "Surface and, in particular, interface effects influence all physical and chemical properties of nanostructured matter. Mie surface plasmon polaritons (MPPs) in metallic nanoparticles are excellent and sensitive sensors for optical investigation of these effects of realistic particles since their lifetimes due to dephasing (decoherence) effects and their resonance energies drastically depend upon the chemistry and topology of their surfaces/interfaces," scientists in Aachen, Germany report ...read more

  2008 NOV 3 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to recent research published in the journal Applied Physics B - Lasers and Optics, "The influence of the nanowire shape on the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at metallic nanowire arrays is studied numerically. For a system of silver nanowires housed on a polymer substrate, nanowires with rectangular and elliptical cross sections are compared."

  "It was found that in the case of rectangular nanowires the excitation efficiency is higher for surface plasmons at the polymer-metal interface than for surface plasmons at the air-metal interface. Conversely, in the case of elliptical nanowires the air-metal plasmon modes are stronger," wrote P. Scholz and colleagues, Technical University of Ilmenau ...read more