Near-field Properties Research Articles

Near-Field Scanning Based Shielding Effectiveness Analysis of System in Package

The electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems are crucial for system-in-package (SiP) due to the high demand of miniaturization and dense integration. Shielding methods are generally employed to protect SiP from EMI, through assessing the key performance index, i.e., shielding effectiveness (SE). In this article, the SE of a SiP is evaluated by using near-field scanning method. The SEs derived by using maximum near-field values and average near-field values are comparatively analyzed. The difference in near-field patterns of the unshielded and shielded SiPs may incur overestimation of the SE by using maximum field values. Both simulation and measurement results manifest that the gap between SiP and printed circuit board (PCB) will significantly change the radiation pattern of a shielded SiP, and thus has a great impact on the SE, especially when the frequency is above 1 GHz. However, a good correlation is found between the SE based on average near-field and the SE derived from the radiated power. This study has revealed the near-field shielding properties of SiP, which is helpful for building and analyzing the correlation among the SEs measured by different methods, including the near-field scanning, transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cell and reverberation chamber.

On the aeroacoustic characterization of a robust trailing-edge serration

This paper presents an experimental study on the aeroacoustics of a flat plate rig with a highly instrumented serrated trailing-edge. The role of near-field flow properties, namely, surface pressure fluctuations and spanwise coherence, in the noise suppression capability of serration is not properly understood. The results from this test rig aim to provide additional insight into the effects of the serration on the hydrodynamic field (flow field) and the scattering of the pressure waves along the trailing-edge. Despite its unconventional size, beamforming results showed a significant reduction of far-field noise over a broadband frequency range. The associated flow field is characterized by mean and spectral analyses of static and dynamic surface pressure measurements as well as hot-wire measurements. The mean pressure coefficient results and the boundary layer velocity profiles over the serrated trailing-edge showed minute differences compared to the baseline straight trailing-edge. However, the frequency-dependent energy content of the unsteady surface pressure fluctuations demonstrates an elevated energy region around the serration edges at low frequencies. Although there is an increase in the energy content of the low frequency pressure fluctuations on the serrated trailing-edge, a significant phase difference of the pressure waves is observed, which may be indicative of destructive interference. The temporal studies regarding the unsteady surface pressure fluctuations corroborate the presence of quasi-periodic large scale structures emanating from the serration edges.

Effect of hydrofoil leading edge waviness on hydrodynamic performance and flow noise

This paper provides a numerical investigation into the effect of the wavy leading edge on the flow structures and noise of a hydrofoil. NACA0012 hydrofoils with straight and wavy leading edges (denoted by SLE and WLE, respectively) are simulated. The simulations are performed using the large eddy simulation approach to obtain the near-field unsteady flow properties and the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings equation to predict far-field noise. The numerical results at Reynolds number of 2.5×105 show that the fluctuating amplitude of the lift and drag coefficient decreases after the wavy structure is applied to the leading edge, and the flow field around the hydrofoil is changed due to the streamwise vortices generated in each trough by the pressure gradient of the leading edge. In addition, the wavy leading edge can effectively reduce or even eliminate the tonal noise of the foil without significantly changing the noise directivity. Moreover, the effect of inlet velocities on noise reduction is studied with three different velocities(1, 2.5, and 4.8 m/s). It is found that at the higher velocity of the three, the WLE has a better inhibition effect on lift fluctuation and a better noise reduction effect.

Improving the efficiency of perovskite solar cells via embedding random plasmonic nanoparticles: Optical–electrical study on device architectures

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on lead halide and solution process face issues such as low efficiency and high manufacturing costs. Recently, the emerging field of plasmonics as a branch of photonics has been utilized in electronic, optic and electro-optic devices, which deals with optical phenomena in metallic nanostructures like Au, Ag and Cu. One way to enhance the efficiency is the increase of absorbent layer thickness, while increasing the manufacturing cost. Here, we intend to examine the size, number, and composition of random plasmonic nanoparticles (RPNPs) in the active layer (AL) so that we can increase the power conversion efficiency (PCE) without changing the absorbent layer thickness. The simulation results demonstrate an improve in photocurrent of the device as much as 11.12% (18.24–20.27 mA/cm2) using the near-field plasmon-enhanced properties of RPNPs, while the number and radius of PNPs embedded in the AL are 50 and 10 nm, respectively. With Ag RPNPs, the photocurrent increases up to 16.5% (18.24–21.25 mA/cm2). Utilizing RNPNs is an efficient method for improving PCE in PSCs with thin absorption layer (up to 200 nm). Given the optimal parameters obtained for RPNPs, our study is very useful for the development of PSCs.

Study on THz SPPs excitation and field distributions of graphene microribbons

Surface plasmon polaritons have wide applications in sensing, biasing, absorption, and beam splitting, etc. because they can break diffraction limits and have strong field localization. So far, most of the research on terahertz surface plasmon polaritons is in the far-field spectrum, and exploring near-field properties is further needed. In this paper, based on the graphene strip structure, the excitation and field distribution characteristics of terahertz surface plasmon polaritons were studied. Specifically, the graphene microribbons that could excite surface plasmon polaritons by terahertz waves were designed, and the field distribution was calculated. Then, we experimentally fabricated the designed structure and measured its surface plasmon polaritons by terahertz near-field microscope. Finally, the effects of resonance detuning on surface plasmon polaritons field distribution were investigated. Our results provide a research basis for the application of graphene surface plasmon polaritons components in terahertz detection, biomedicine, safety detection, and high data rate communication.

Insight on the Coupling of Plasmonic Nanoparticles from Near-Field Spectra Determined via Discrete Dipole Approximations.

Coupling between plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) in nanoparticle assemblies has been investigated extensively via far-field properties, such as absorption and scattering, but very rarely via near-field properties, and a quantitative investigation of near-field properties should provide great insight into the nature of the coupling. We report a numerical procedure to obtain reliable near-field spectra (Q NF) around spherical gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) using Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA). The reliability of the method was tested by comparing Q NF from DDA calculations with exact results from the Mie theory. We then applied the method to examine Au NPs assembled in dimer, trimer, and up to pentamer in a linear arrangement. For the well-studied dimer system, we show that the Q NF enhancement, due to coupling in longitudinal mode, is much greater than the enhancement in Q ext. There is a linear correlation between the Q NF and Q ext peak positions, with the Q NF peak redshifted from the Q ext peak by an average of approximately 12 nm. In the case of the multimers, Q NF spectra from individual spheres were not always identical and become dependent on the sphere location. In the longitudinal model, the center sphere has the strongest Q NF spectra. For the transverse mode, we differentiate two different scenario, transverse-Y where both electric field (E) and light propagation vector (k) are perpendicular the chain axis, and transverse-X where k is parallel to the chain axis. In transverse-Y mode, coupling leads to reduced Q NF spectra and the center sphere has the lowest Q NF intensity. In transverse-X mode, there is retardation effect from the front sphere to the back sphere. The Q NF from the front sphere is stronger than from the back sphere. In addition, due to the phase lag in k-direction, the Q NF in transverse-X can differ quite significantly from transverse-Y for large particles. All these results could be understood when one considers how electric field from induced dipoles on neighboring NPs add on or subtract from the incident E-field. These results provide new insight into the coupling properties of Au NPs.

Diverse Substrate-Mediated Local Electric Field Enhancement of Metal Nanoparticles for Nanogap-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

The localized surface plasmon resonance of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) can be coupled with a noble metal substrate (S) to induce a localized augmented electric field (E-field) concentrated at the NP-S gap. Herein, we analyzed the fundamental near-field properties of metal NPs on diverse substrates numerically (using the 3D finite-difference time-domain method) and experimentally [using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)]. We systematically examined the effects of plasmonic NPs on noble metals (Ag and Au), non-noble metals (Al, Ti, Cu, Fe, and Ni), semiconductors (Si and Ge), and dielectrics (TiO2, ZnO, and SiO2) as substrates. For the AgNPs, the Al (11,664 times) and Si (3969 times) substrates produced considerable E-field enhancements, with Al in particular generating a tremendous E-field enhancement comparable in intensity to that induced by a Ag (28,224 times) substrate. Notably, we found that a superior metallic character of the substrate gave rise to easier induction of image charges within the metal substrate, resulting in a greater E-field at the NP-S gap; on the other hand, the larger the permittivity of the nonmetal substrate, the greater the ability of the substrate to store an image charge distribution, resulting in stronger coupling to the charges of localized surface plasmon resonance oscillation on the metal NP. Furthermore, we measured the SERS spectra of rhodamine 6G (a commonly used Raman spectral probe), histamine (a biogenic amine used as a food freshness indicator), creatinine (a kidney health indicator), and tert-butylbenzene [an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography contaminant] on AgNP-immobilized Al and Si substrates to demonstrate the wide range of potential applications. Finally, the NP-S gap hotspots appear to be widely applicable as an ultrasensitive SERS platform (∼single-molecule level), especially when used as a powerful analytical tool for the detection of residual contaminants on versatile substrates.

Polarization singularities in light scattering by small particles

Using full-wave numerical simulations and analytical multipole expansions we investigated the properties of real-space polarization singularities that emerge in light scattering by subwavelength particles. We considered spherical and torus particles made of dielectric or perfect-electric-conductor material. We determined the topological indices and the trajectories of electric-field polarization singularities in both the near-field and far-field regions. In the far-field region, a total of four singularities are identified and the sum of their polarization topological indices is two, independent of the particle's geometric shape. In the near-field region, the polarization singularities strongly depend on the particle's shape and the polarization of incident light, and their index sum is not governed by the Poincar\'e-Hopf theorem anymore due to the non-transverse nature of the fields. From near field to far field, a flipping of sign can happen to the polarization topological indices of the C lines. The far-field properties of the singularities can be well explained by the interference of the excited multipoles, but their near-field properties can be strongly affected by the evanescent fields that are not captured by the multipole expansions. Our work uncovers the important relationship between particles' geometric properties and the polarization singularities of their scattering field. The results can be applied to manipulate polarization singularities in nanophotonic systems and could generate novel applications in optical sensing.

Understanding the Role of Different Substrate Geometries for Achieving Optimum Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering Sensitivity.

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) has experienced tremendous progress over the last two decades. Despite detecting single molecules and achieving sub-nanometer spatial resolution, attaining high TERS sensitivity is still a challenging task due to low reproducibility of tip fabrication, especially regarding very sharp tip apices. Here, we present an approach for achieving strong TERS sensitivity via a systematic study of the near-field enhancement properties in the so-called gap-mode TERS configurations using the combination of finite element method (FEM) simulations and TERS experiments. In the simulation study, a gold tip apex is fixed at 80 nm of diameter, and the substrate consists of 20 nm high gold nanodiscs with diameter varying from 5 nm to 120 nm placed on a flat extended gold substrate. The local electric field distributions are computed in the spectral range from 500 nm to 800 nm with the tip placed both at the center and the edge of the gold nanostructure. The model is then compared with the typical gap-mode TERS configuration, in which a tip of varying diameter from 2 nm to 160 nm is placed in the proximity of a gold thin film. Our simulations show that the tip-nanodisc combined system provides much improved TERS sensitivity compared to the conventional gap-mode TERS configuration. We find that for the same tip diameter, the spatial resolution achieved in the tip-nanodisc model is much better than that observed in the conventional gap-mode TERS, which requires a very sharp metal tip to achieve the same spatial resolution on an extended metal substrate. Finally, TERS experiments are conducted on gold nanodisc arrays using home-built gold tips to validate our simulation results. Our simulations provide a guide for designing and realization of both high-spatial resolution and strong TERS intensity in future TERS experiments.

Remarkable Predictive Power of the Modified Long Wavelength Approximation

The modified long-wavelength approximation (MLWA), a next order approximation beyond the Rayleigh limit, has been applied usually only to the dipole $\ell=1$ contribution and for the range of size parameters $x$ not exceeding $x\lesssim 1$ to estimate far- and near-field electromagnetic properties of plasmonic nanoparticles. Provided that the MLWA functional form for the $T$-matrix in a given channel $\ell$ is limited to the ratio $T\sim iR/(F+D-iR)$, where $F$ is the familiar size-independent Fr\"ohlich term and $R\sim {\cal O}(x^{2\ell+1})$ is a radiative reaction term, there is a one-parameter freedom in selecting the dynamic depolarization term $D\sim {\cal O}(x^2)$ which preserves the fundamental feature of the MLWA that its predictions coincide with those of the Mie theory up to the order ${\cal O}(x^2)$. By exploiting this untapped design freedom, we demonstrate on a number of different metals (Ag, Al, Au, Mg), and using real material data, that the MLWA may surprisingly yield very accurate results for plasmonic spheres both for (i) $x$ up to $\gtrsim 1$ and beyond, and (ii) higher order multipoles ($\ell>1$), essentially doubling its expected range of validity. Because the MLWA obviates the need of using spherical Bessel and Hankel functions and allows for an intuitive description of (nano)particle properties in terms of a driven damped harmonic oscillator parameters, a significantly improved analysis and understanding of nanoparticle scattering and near-field properties can be achieved.

Communication and Localization With Extremely Large Lens Antenna Array

Achieving high-rate communication with accurate localization and wireless environment sensing has emerged as an important trend of beyond-fifth and sixth generation cellular systems. Extension of the antenna array to an extremely large scale is a potential technology for achieving such goals. However, the super massive operating antennas significantly increases the computational complexity of the system. Motivated by the inherent advantages of lens antenna arrays in reducing system complexity, we consider communication and localization problems with an ex tremely large lens antenna array, which we call “ExLens”. Since radiative near-field property emerges in the setting, we derive the closed-form array response of the lens antenna array with spherical wave, which includes the array response obtained on the basis of uniform plane wave as a special case. Our derivation result reveals a window effect for energy focusing property of ExLens, which indicates that ExLens has great potential in position sensing and multi-user communication. We also propose an effective method for location and channel parameters estimation, which is able to achieve the localization performance close to the Cramer-Rao lower bound. Finally, we examine the multi-user communication performance of ExLens that serves coexisting near-field and far-field users. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed channel estimation method and show that ExLens with a minimum mean square error receiver achieves significant spectral efficiency gains and complexity-and-cost reductions compared with a uniform linear array.

Validity of the effective medium theory for modeling near-field thermal emission by nanowire arrays

Nanowire arrays are promising man-made materials for tuning the spectrum and the magnitude of near-field thermal radiation. Near-field radiative properties of nanowire arrays are often studied using the effective medium theory (EMT). In this paper, we inspect the validity of the Maxwell-Garnett (MG) and Bruggeman (BR) EMTs for predicting near-field thermal emission by quartz and indium tin oxide (ITO) nanowire arrays. The near-field energy density predicted using the EMTs is compared with numerical simulations obtained using the thermal discrete dipole approximation. For quartz nanowire arrays, which support localized surface phonons in the infrared region, neither MG nor BR EMT can accurately predict the spectrum and the magnitude of near-field thermal emission even at distances, zo, greater than the array pitch, L over π. Based on the performed simulations, the EMT agrees the best with the T-DDA when 1<Lzo<π. It is also shown that MG EMT is slightly more consistent with numerical simulations than the BR EMT. For the ITO array, which does not support localized surface plasmons in the infrared region, the MG EMT provides an acceptable estimations of near-field thermal radiation. Finally, it is observed that near-field emission can vary by a factor of two in lateral directions which cannot be captured in the EMT.

Spectral Engineering via Complex Patterns of Circular Nano-object Miniarrays: I. Convex Patterns Tunable by Integrated Lithography Realized by Circularly Polarized Light

Illumination of colloid sphere monolayers by circularly polarized beams enables the fabrication of concave patterns composed of circular nanohole miniarrays that can be transferred into convex metal nano-object patterns via a lift-off procedure. Unique spectral and near-field properties are achievable by controlling the geometry of the central nanoring and quadrumer of slightly rotated satellite nanocrescents and by selecting those azimuthal orientations that promote localized plasmon resonances. The spectral and near-field effects of hexagonal patterns composed of uniform gold nanorings and nanocrescents, which can be prepared by transferring masks fabricated by a perpendicularly and obliquely incident single homogeneous circularly polarized beam, were studied to uncover the supported localized plasmonic modes. Artificial rectangular patterns composed of a singlet nanoring and singlet nanocrescent as well as quadrumer of four nanocrescents were investigated to analyze the effect of nano-object interactions and lattice type. It was proven that all nanophotonical phenomena are governed by the azimuthal orientation independent localized resonance on the nanorings and by the C2, C1, and U resonances on the nanocrescents in case of bar {E}-field direction perpendicular and parallel to their symmetry axes. The interaction between localized surface plasmon resonances on individual nano-objects is weak, whereas scattered photonic modes have a perturbative role at the Rayleigh anomaly only on the larger periodic rectangular pattern of miniarrays. Considerable fluorescence enhancement of dipolar emitters is achievable at spectral locations promoting the C and U resonances on the constituent nano-object.

Magnetic modulation of far- and near-field IR properties in rod-slit complementary spintronic metasurfaces.

Complementary metasurfaces composed of randomly-placed arrays of aligned rods or slits are fabricated out of giant magnetoresistance Ni81Fe19/Au multilayers (MLs), a material whose optical properties change under the application of an external static magnetic field. The two metasurfaces are studied from both the experimental and theoretical viewpoints. The induced magnetic modulation (MM) of both the far-field signal and the resonant near field, at the rod/slit localized surface plasmon frequency, are found to obey the Babinet's principle. Furthermore, the near-field MM is found to be higher than the far-field counterpart. At resonance, both arrays show spots with high values of the magnetic modulated intensity of the electric near field (MM hot-spots). We show that this high magnetic modulation of the near-field intensity is very promising for the future development of high sensitivity molecular sensing platforms in the Mid- and Far-IR, using Magnetic-Modulation of Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption (MM-SEIRA) spectroscopy.

Ultrafast photoemission electron microscopy: Capability and potential in probing plasmonic nanostructures from multiple domains.

The near-field properties and dynamics of plasmonic nanostructures play a crucial role in several fundamental concepts in physics and chemistry, and they are widely relevant in plasmonic applications. Ultrafast photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) is a novel approach that has been widely applied to probe plasmonic nanostructures from multiple domains. Furthermore, PEEM is the only technique that provides nanometer spatial resolution, sub-femtosecond temporal resolution, and tens to hundreds of millielectron volt energy resolution. This allows for extremely sensitive observations of plasmonic field oscillations, field dephasing, and hot electrons. This Perspective provides a brief overview of the basic principles and main applications of ultrafast PEEM. The research progress of ultrafast PEEM in plasmonics is highlighted from three points of view: near-field imaging, near-field spectroscopy, and ultrafast dynamics. Future applications of PEEM in plasmonics for the probing of plasmonic hot electron dynamics in the energy and time domains are proposed and discussed.

Flow behaviours and velocity fields of non-oscillating and transversely oscillating jets

The near-field flow characteristics and jet fluid dispersion properties of non-oscillating and transversely oscillating jets issued from a fluidic oscillator were studied experimentally. A V-shaped fluidic oscillator was designed to induce transverse jet oscillations by merging two bifurcated alternatively issuing side jets. The characteristic flow patterns, evolution processes, velocities, vorticities, turbulence intensities and jet fluid dispersion capabilities in the median plane of the jets were examined. The characteristic flow patterns were obtained using laser-light-sheet-assisted smoke flow visualization method. The flow velocities were measured using particle image velocimetry. The jet fluid dispersion properties were analysed using tracer gas detection method. The non-oscillating jet was axial momentum-dominated—the axial momentum of the jet was limited within a narrow region around the central axis and was significantly larger than the transverse momentum. Therefore, the transverse velocities and vorticities were small and the dispersion of the jet fluid was relatively low. The transversely oscillating jets meandered in the near-field so the flow patterns presented a violent breakup of vortical flow structures and large transverse widths. The streamlines expanded transversely outwards and caused a part of the axial momentum to transfer towards the transverse direction. The vorticities and transverse velocities were increased and the axial velocities were decreased, so the dispersion of jet fluid was augmented in the transversely oscillating jets.

Plasmonic nanoantennas on VO2 films for active switching of near-field intensity and radiation from nanoemitters.

In this paper, we propose novel plasmonic switches based on plasmonic nanoantennas lying on top of a thin film of a phase change material such as vanadium dioxide (VO2), such that the near-field properties of these nanoantennas can be actively switched by varying the phase of the VO2 film. We employ finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations to first demonstrate that the near-field intensity in the vicinity of the plasmonic nanoantennas can be substantially switched by changing the phase of the vanadium dioxide film from the semiconductor state to the metallic state. We demonstrate that a ring-bowtie nanoantenna (RBN) switch can switch the near-field intensity by ∼ 59.5 times and ring-rhombus nanoantenna (RRN) switch can switch the near-field intensity by a factor of ∼ 80.8. These values of the maximum intensity switching ratios are substantially higher than those previously reported in the literature. In addition, we optimize the various geometrical parameters of the plasmonic switches to maximize the intensity switching ratio and to understand how the different parameters affect the performance of the plasmonic switches. In this paper, we also show that the intensity of emission from a nanoemitter placed in the gap between the two arms of a plasmonic nanoantenna can be significantly switched by changing the phase of the VO2 film between its semiconductor state and the metallic state. To quantify the switching of emission from the nanoemitters placed in the near-field of the nanoantennas, we define and calculate a parameter, called FESR, the ratio of fluorescent enhancement factors in the on-state and off-state of the plasmonic switch. The maximum fluorescence enhancement switching ratio (FESR) of ∼ 163 is obtained for the RBN switch and FESR of ∼ 200 is obtained for RRN switch. The plasmonic switches being proposed by us can be easily fabricated by employing the conventional nanofabrication and thin film deposition processes.

Evanescent Wave-Guided Growth of an Organic Supramolecular Nanowire Array.

The ordered assembly of molecules within a specific space of nanoscale, such as a surface, holds great promise in advanced micro-/nanostructure fabrication for various applications. Herein, we demonstrate the evanescent wave (EW)-guided organization of small molecules into a long-range ordered nanowire (NW) array. Experiment and simulation revealed that the orientation and periodicity of the NW array were feasibly regulated by altering the propagation direction and the wavelength of EW. The generality of this approach was demonstrated by using different molecule precursors. While existing studies on EW often took advantages of its near-field property for optical sensing, this work demonstrated the photochemical power of EW in the guided-assembly of small molecules for the first time. It also provides an enlightening avenue to periodic structure with fluorescence, promising for super-resolution microscopy and important devices applicable to optical and bio-related fields.

Polarized evanescent waves reveal trochoidal dichroism

Matter's sensitivity to light polarization is characterized by linear and circular polarization effects, corresponding to the system's anisotropy and handedness, respectively. Recent investigations into the near-field properties of evanescent waves have revealed polarization states with out-of-phase transverse and longitudinal oscillations, resulting in trochoidal, or cartwheeling, field motion. Here, we demonstrate matter's inherent sensitivity to the direction of the trochoidal field and name this property trochoidal dichroism. We observe trochoidal dichroism in the differential excitation of bonding and antibonding plasmon modes for a system composed of two coupled dipole scatterers. Trochoidal dichroism constitutes the observation of a geometric basis for polarization sensitivity that fundamentally differs from linear and circular dichroism. It could also be used to characterize molecular systems, such as certain light-harvesting antennas, with cartwheeling charge motion upon excitation.

Infrared Permittivity of the Biaxial van der Waals Semiconductor α-MoO3 from Near- and Far-Field Correlative Studies.

The biaxial van der Waals semiconductor α-phase molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO3 ) has recently received significant attention due to its ability to support highly anisotropic phonon polaritons (PhPs)-infrared (IR) light coupled to lattice vibrations-offering an unprecedented platform for controlling the flow of energy at the nanoscale. However, to fully exploit the extraordinary IR response of this material, an accurate dielectric function is required. Here, the accurate IR dielectric function of α-MoO3 is reported by modeling far-field polarized IR reflectance spectra acquired on a single thick flake of this material. Unique to this work, the far-field model is refined by contrasting the experimental dispersion and damping of PhPs, revealed by polariton interferometry using scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) on thin flakes of α-MoO3 , with analytical and transfer-matrix calculations, as well as full-wave simulations. Through these correlative efforts, exceptional quantitative agreement is attained to both far- and near-field properties for multiple flakes, thus providing strong verification of the accuracy of this model, while offering a novel approach to extracting dielectric functions of nanomaterials. In addition, by employing density functional theory (DFT), insights into the various vibrational states dictating the dielectric function model and the intriguing optical properties of α-MoO3 are provided.