Advances in Inelastic Light Scattering Spectroscopies

Inelastic light scattering spectroscopies probe the properties of materials by analyzing changes in the energies and momenta of incident and scattered light resulting from interactions with excitations within the material such as phonons and magnons. These techniques provide information about the material’s vibrational, rotational, magnetic, or electronic states. Optical techniques like Raman and Brillouin–Mandelstam spectroscopies have become essential tools for understanding phonons, magnons, and other elemental excitations in 1D and 2D van der Waals materials, magnetic materials, phononic metamaterials, thin films, polymers, and biological samples. Recent variations of the Raman optothermal method, originally proposed for graphene, have further expanded the capabilities of Raman spectroscopy enabling measurements of thermal conductivity and interface conduction in nanostructures and low-dimensional materials. Near-field optical techniques such as tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy can detect quasi-particles with spatial resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit. Emerging ultrafast inelastic scattering techniques allow researchers to investigate the dynamics of material excitations by tracking the time evolution of excitations in real time. These techniques, with their high spatial resolution and broad energy-detection range, are suitable for studying emerging quantum materials which often exist in small amounts and sizes. In this Special Issue, we invite researchers to submit original articles exploring recent advancements in inelastic light scattering spectroscopies and their applications in applied physics and materials science research.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

Guest Editors

Fariborz Kargar, Auburn University, USA

Clivia M. Sotomayor Torres, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Portugal

Marcos A. Pimenta, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil