Hot-Electron Generation and Photothermal Effect in Plasmonic Nanostructures and Metamaterials

Generation of energetic (hot) electrons and photo-heating are intrinsic properties of any plasmonic nanocrystal under illumination [1,2]. While the photo-heating effect is well described classically, the generation of hot electrons (HEs) is a quantum process and its theoretical description requires advanced quantum approaches [2]. The energy efficiency of such hot-electron processes is always limited. However, there are interesting possibilities to achieve the hot-electron enhancement [1]. The generation of high-energy HEs is a key mechanism for several applications such as plasmonic photodetectors, photocatalysis and ultrafast spectroscopy [1,2]. In particular, photochemistry induced by HEs and heating represent a very active area, which also involves chiral metamaterials and chiral photocatalysis [3].

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