Quantum corrected model for plasmonic nanoparticles: A boundary element method implementation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a boundary element method implementation of a quantum corrected model for plasmonic nanoparticles, effectively capturing electron tunneling effects and charge transfer plasmons with simplified non-local boundary conditions.

Contribution

It develops a new BEM-based approach for the quantum corrected model, emphasizing non-local tunneling effects with contact resistance, simplifying simulations of plasmonic nanoparticles.

Findings

Simulation results agree with original QCM

Efficient implementation in BEM

Captures charge transfer plasmons

Abstract

We present a variant of the recently developed quantum corrected model (QCM) for plasmonic nanoparticles [Nature Commun. 3, 825 (2012)] using non-local boundary conditions. The QCM accounts for electron tunneling in narrow gap regions of coupled metallic nanoparticles, leading to the appearance of new charge transfer plasmons. Our approach has the advantages that it emphasizes the non-local nature of tunneling and introduces only contact resistance, but not ohmic losses through tunneling. Additionally, it can be implemented much easier in boundary element method (BEM) approaches. We develop the methodology for the QCM using non-local boundary conditions, and present simulation results of our BEM implementation which are in good agreement with those of the original QCM.