Extraordinary Fluorescence from Few Nanoplatelets in Gap Plasmons

Extraordinary Fluorescence from Few Nanoplatelets in Gap Plasmons | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Extraordinary Fluorescence from Few Nanoplatelets in Gap Plasmons Joel Yang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7354319/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Quantum emitters (QE) weakly coupled to plasmonic cavities are known to exhibit scattering spectra that are largely indistinguishable from those in the absence of the emitters themselves. Here, we report the presence of strong fluorescence peaks visible in the scattering spectra of gap plasmons. This extraordinary fluorescence (EF) arises under incoherent white-light excitation from a few emitters in a monolayer of 2D semiconductor nanoplatelets (NPLs) within nanoparticle-on-mirror (NPoM) cavities. Broadband white light excites the bright plasmonic mode of the cavity, near field coupling generates hybrid in plane fields that match the NPL exciton dipoles thus yielding strongly enhanced emission within a deep sub wavelength volume-despite the incoherent illumination, a regime where fluorescence is typically observed only in photoluminescence measurements with coherent excitation. Strikingly, dark-field scattering from single NPoMs reveals an extraordinary, intense, and narrow peak at 650 nm, spectrally aligned with the fluorescence of the NPLs. Simulations suggest that this EF arises from the in-plane field enhancement at the Ag nanocube (Ag NC) corners, aligning with the dipole moment of the NPLs to enhance spontaneous emission. This 650 nm emission exhibits a nonlinear increase with incident power of white light, a clear departure from linear plasmonic scattering, further supporting the fluorescent nature of this scattering peak. This EF is sufficiently strong that the NPL-coated NPoM arrays are visibly red to the naked eye under focused sunlight excitation. These findings unveil a pathway to harness few-emitter fluorescence with incoherent excitation, opening avenues for surface coatings with unique visual effects, and solar-driven advanced chip-scale photonic devices, including single-photon sources, light emitters, lasers and sensors. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Lasers, LEDs and light sources Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale devices Nanoparticle on mirror Nanoplatelets Monolayer White-light illumination Extraordinary Fluorescence Gap Plasmons Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SI.pdf Extraordinary Fluorescence from Few Nanoplatelets in Gap Plasmons TOC.jpg TOC Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7354319","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":508234954,"identity":"b6641b54-0c58-453d-b770-1c5221e80805","order_by":0,"name":"Joel Yang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxgYGxgNgFnsDkGAD4gOEtUDV8ACpA8RoYYCrkUggUgtze/OBA4xtdnnykc+fSX8oY5Dju5HA/PELPof1HEsAakkuNrydYyZx4ByDseSNBDZpGXxaZuQYALUwJ26cncMmcbCNIXEDUAuzBF4t+R+AWuoTN848/gykpR6ohfkzfi05DEAthxPnSzCYgbQkGNxIYJD8gN8vBgcYzh1P3MCTY2xx5pyE4cwzD9uk8ehgMGxvfviAoaw6cX778Yc3Ksps5PmOJx/++AOflgZgQP8FRgfQLhAAeYKxgZkHjxZ5MPkHyGhAdi4+W0bBKBgFo2DEAQBprlcv6qfBagAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3301-1040","institution":"Singapore University of Technology and Design","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joel","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-12 10:05:07","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7354319/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7354319/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":96366760,"identity":"ec97ff0d-36e9-414e-9302-1e7479f212fb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-20 10:11:52","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":769663,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7354319/v1_covered_8f5e6493-8281-413d-8393-a63ff1cf7299.pdf"},{"id":90469165,"identity":"22a949c1-5b64-4368-b72a-3ca79566d6df","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-03 06:09:51","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":3572056,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Extraordinary Fluorescence from Few Nanoplatelets in Gap Plasmons","description":"","filename":"SI.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7354319/v1/05de42a471eec2345b05cf65.pdf"},{"id":90469164,"identity":"eddb4278-9e2b-4917-a9e9-98abe109f25b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-03 06:09:51","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":192910,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"TOC","description":"","filename":"TOC.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7354319/v1/6fb43f2f1ae67e7264e1c3a1.jpg"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Extraordinary Fluorescence from Few Nanoplatelets in Gap Plasmons","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Nanoparticle on mirror, Nanoplatelets, Monolayer, White-light illumination, Extraordinary Fluorescence, Gap Plasmons","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7354319/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7354319/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Quantum emitters (QE) weakly coupled to plasmonic cavities are known to exhibit scattering spectra that are largely indistinguishable from those in the absence of the emitters themselves. Here, we report the presence of strong fluorescence peaks visible in the scattering spectra of gap plasmons. This extraordinary fluorescence (EF) arises under incoherent white-light excitation from a few emitters in a monolayer of 2D semiconductor nanoplatelets (NPLs) within nanoparticle-on-mirror (NPoM) cavities. Broadband white light excites the bright plasmonic mode of the cavity, near field coupling generates hybrid in plane fields that match the NPL exciton dipoles thus yielding strongly enhanced emission within a deep sub wavelength volume-despite the incoherent illumination, a regime where fluorescence is typically observed only in photoluminescence measurements with coherent excitation. Strikingly, dark-field scattering from single NPoMs reveals an extraordinary, intense, and narrow peak at 650 nm, spectrally aligned with the fluorescence of the NPLs. Simulations suggest that this EF arises from the in-plane field enhancement at the Ag nanocube (Ag NC) corners, aligning with the dipole moment of the NPLs to enhance spontaneous emission. This 650 nm emission exhibits a nonlinear increase with incident power of white light, a clear departure from linear plasmonic scattering, further supporting the fluorescent nature of this scattering peak. This EF is sufficiently strong that the NPL-coated NPoM arrays are visibly red to the naked eye under focused sunlight excitation. 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