Finite-Element Analysis of Low-Power Laser Heating in Gold::Vanadium Dioxide Nanocomposites
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Date
2011-04
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Vanderbilt University. Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Finite element modeling was performed using COMSOL Multiphysics to study the
thermal dynamics of gold::vanadium dioxide (VO$_{2}$) nanocomposites. These
simulations were done to understand the data from transient absorption pump
probe measurements taken over the previous two years by the author. The
various parameters contributing to the dynamics of the system were
systematically varied within the simulation in order to understand how the
various properties of the nanocomposite affect the thermodynamics of the
system. It was determined that the background temperature and the optical
properties of the film make the dominant contributions to the system
response. The simulation was able to predict the maximum change in
transmission measured in experiment fairly well but could not predict the
speed at which the system responded to the pump laser. Steps to improve
upon the agreement between experiment and simulation are proposed.
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Keywords
Finite element analysis, vanadium dioxide, metal nanoparticles, optical limiter, plasmonic modulator