Metal nanoparticles in strongly confined beams: transmission, reflection and absorption

TL;DR

This paper studies how tightly focused light interacts with metal nanospheres, analyzing scattering, absorption, transmission, and reflection, with implications for nanoparticle spectroscopy, microscopy, and plasmonics.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a 100 nm silver nanosphere closely approximates a point-like dipolar radiator, advancing understanding of nanoparticle-light interactions.

Findings

100 nm silver nanosphere behaves as an ideal dipolar oscillator

Computed scattering and absorption ratios for metal nanospheres

Analyzed transmission and reflection coefficients in focused light

Abstract

We investigate the interaction of tightly focused light with the surface-plasmon-polariton resonances of metal nanospheres. In particular, we compute the scattering and absorption ratios as well as transmission and reflection coefficients. Inspired by our previous work in Ref. [1], we discuss how well a metal nanoparticle approximates a point-like dipolar radiator. We find that a 100 nm silver nanosphere is very close to such an ideal oscillator. Our results have immediate implications for single nanoparticle spectroscopy and microscopy as well as plasmonics.