Local Field Effects on Laser-Induced Heating of Metal Nanoparticles

In this paper, we study the local heating induced by a strong laser field on the surface of a nanoparticle resonant close to the laser field wavelength and on the embedding matrix. The ability of the metal particle to convert laser radiation into heat is related to the optical properties of the particle and can be studied with different models with growing degree of accuracy. We obtain a satisfactory agreement with experimental temperature range evidenced in the literature by phase transition phenomena (ice vaporization) on analogous systems. To explain the high temperatures obtained experimentally, surface field enhancement effects and the electronic smear out beyond the particle surface have to be considered.