Few Photons Probe Third-Order Nonlinear Properties of Nanomaterials in a Plasmonic Nanocavity

Quantification of nonlinear optical properties is important for nano-optical devices, yet such measurements remain challenging at the single-particle level. Here, enhanced optical fields are harnessed inside a plasmonic nanocavity to mediate efficient nonlinear interactions with an individual particle. Reflection Z-scan technique was performed on individual nanocavities, reaching down to two photons per pulse, thus demonstrating a significantly higher efficiency beyond conventional methods. The few photons are sufficient to extract the nonlinear refractive index and nonlinear absorption coefficient of different nanomaterials, including perovskite and Au nano-objects and a molecular monolayer. This work is of great interest for investigating nonlinear optical interactions on the nanoscale and characterizing nanomaterials, including fragile biomolecules.