Microbubble resonators for photoacoustic and photothermal characterisation of nanoparticles suspensions

\nWe discuss the implementation of Whispering Gallery Modes Microbubble resonators (MBRs) as unique platforms for photoacoustic (PA) detection and photothermal (PT) spectroscopy. In a first experiment, the MBR transducer allowed to detect the PA signal generated by a suspension of gold nanorods (GNRs) within its core, leveraging on the MBR sharp optical spectrum and high sensitivity towards mechanical perturbations. Both static and flow-cytometry configuration were tested, finding that the MBR mechanical modes help detection by decoupling the environmental noise from the PA oscillation. In a second experiment, the MBR transducer allowed to reconstruct the GNRs absorption spectrum through the photothermal (PT) conversion, leveraging on high sensitivity towards temperature variations. We verified the scattering-free nature of the detection by using milk-stained GNRs suspension. We also found that the active locking of the MBR resonance increases the system sensitivity by an order-of-magnitude. These results make MBRs interesting candidates for combined PA and PT characterisation of extremely small samples for medical diagnosis, quality controls in food safety and chemical production processes.\n