Plasmonic mediated nucleation of resonant nano-cavities in metallic layers

TL;DR

This paper predicts that plasmonic effects can facilitate the formation of resonant nano-cavities in metallic layers, which could impact nano-optics and optical data storage technologies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism for nucleating resonant nano-cavities via plasmonic resonance in metallic layers, expanding understanding of nano-scale cavity formation.

Findings

Resonant nano-cavities maximize polarizability in external fields.

Energy gain from resonance makes cavity formation highly favorable.

Implications for nano-optics and optical recording technologies.

Abstract

We predict plasmonic mediated nucleation of pancake shaped resonant nano-cavities in metallic layers that are penetrable to laser fields. The underlying physics is that the cavity provides a narrow plasmonic resonance that maximizes its polarizability in an external field. The resonance yields a significant energy gain making the formation of such cavities highly favorable. Possible implications include nano-optics and generation of the dielectric bits in conductive films that underlie the existing optical recording phase change technology.