Ultrafast thermo-optical dynamics of plasmonic nanoparticles

Femtosecond time-resolved optical spectroscopy is emerging as the go-to technique to investigate the ultrafast thermal dynamics of nanometric objects. At this size scale, thermal interface resistance plays a major role, controlling the cooling dynamics of nanoparticles after initial impulsive excitation [1, 2]. In this context, connecting the ultrafast optical response of nano-objects to the correct thermal energy flow is of vital importance for quantitative retrieval of thermal parameters - such as the interfacial resistance and the local environment thermal conductivity - from experiments.