Probing nanostructures under irradiation: Developing a charged particle induced luminescence based chemical sensing methodology

Technologies leveraging the spectroscopic and photometric properties of Cherenkov radiation have been, by our estimation, tragically underdeveloped. This work introduces a novel method of material characterization via Cherenkov and in general ionizing particle radiation induced Luminescence produced by a material under irradiation. Wavelengths corresponding to the localized plasmon resonance frequencies of extremely small particle-concentrations of dispersed gold nanostructures were extracted using the luminescence produced in samples under pulses of electron irradiation. Such measurements are fast, simple, and consistent with standard methods of materials characterization in solution, demonstrating the potential of charged particle induced luminescence Emissions as a general-use remote chemical probe for nuclear applications.

Automated summary

This work presents a new method of material characterization using Cherenkov and ionizing particle radiation induced luminescence. The study extracted wavelengths corresponding to the localized plasmon resonance frequencies of dispersed gold nanostructures through luminescence produced under electron irradiation. The measurements are fast, simple, and consistent with conventional methods, indicating the potential of charged particle induced luminescence emissions as a remote chemical probe for nuclear applications.