Plasmon enhanced upconversion luminescence near gold nanoparticles - Simulation and analysis of the interactions

TL;DR

This paper models how gold nanoparticles can enhance upconversion luminescence by analyzing plasmon resonances and their effects on transition probabilities using electrodynamic theory.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive simulation combining Mie theory and rate equations to quantify plasmonic enhancement of upconversion luminescence near gold nanoparticles.

Findings

Luminescence can be increased near gold nanoparticles due to optical field enhancement.

Transition rate modifications contribute significantly to luminescence enhancement.

The model provides a detailed understanding of plasmonic effects on upconverting materials.

Abstract

We investigate plasmon resonances in gold nanoparticles to enhance the quantum yield of upconverting materials. For this purpose, we use a rate equation model that describes the upconversion of trivalent erbium based upconverters. Changes of the optical field acting on the upconverter and the changes to the transition probabilities of the upconverter in the proximity of a gold nanoparticle are calculated using Mie theory and exact electrodynamic theory respectively. With this data, the influence on the luminescence of the upconverter is determined using the rate equation model. The results show that upconversion luminescence can be increased in the proximity of a spherical gold nanoparticle due to the change in the optical field and the modification of the transition rates.