Probing Inherent Optical Anisotropy in Substrates via Direct Nanoimaging of Mie Scattering
Hwi Je Woo, Jaewon Han, Sangmin Ji, Bong Gyu Shin, Seong Hun Park, Sung-Gyu Lee, Chang‐Won Lee, E. H. Hwang, Deok‐Soo Kim, Soobong Choi, Mun Seok Jeong, Gi‐Ra Yi, Junki Kim, Young Jae Song
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the optical properties of a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) substrate via Mie-scattering-induced surface analysis (MISA). Employing near-field optical microscopy and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, we systemically prove and directly visualize the Mie scattering of superspherical gold nanoparticles (s-AuNPs) at the nanoscale. Molybdenum disulfide substrates exhibited optical isotropy, while rhenium disulfide (ReS 2 ) substrates showed anisotropic behavior attributed to the interaction with incident light’s electric field. Our study revealed substantial anisotropic trends in Mie scattering, particularly in the near-infrared energy range, with ReS 2 exhibiting more pronounced spectral and angular responses in satellite peaks. Our results emphasize the application of Mie scattering, exploring the optical properties of substrates and contributing to a deeper understanding of nanoscale light–matter interactions.