A research team led by Professor Zhou Meng from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), in partnership with Professor Jin Rongchao's team at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, has achieved substantial advancements in the study of the optical properties of metal nanostructures. The team has uncovered the evolutionary principles governing the optical behaviors of one-dimensional metal nanostructures. Their findings were published in the journal Science Advances on June 11, 2023, under the title "Evolution of Coherent Vibrations in Atomically Precise Gold Quantum Rods with Periodic Elongation."

In this study, the research team meticulously selected a series of rod-shaped gold nanoclusters that exhibited uniform radial dimensions but varied in length. Employing spectral analysis, they validated the anisotropic electronic structures of these nanoclusters. Additionally, they utilized femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy to elucidate the excited-state dynamics of the gold nanorods. The results indicated that the coherent vibrations within the gold nanorods consist primarily of longitudinal vibrations, which exhibit a linear correlation with the rod's length, and transverse vibrations, which remain independent of the length.

This groundbreaking discovery not only fortifies our understanding of light-sound interactions in low-dimensional metal materials but also offers crucial insights for the manipulation of coherent vibrations, energy transfer processes, and the design of nano-optoelectronic devices. The research underscores the potential of these metal nanostructures in advancing technological frontiers and fostering innovative applications in the field of nanotechnology.