Particle plasmons: Why shape matters

TL;DR

This paper derives clear, physically insightful formulas for the polarizability of metallic nanoparticles in the quasistatic limit, emphasizing how particle shape influences plasmon resonances.

Contribution

It provides a tutorial derivation of polarizability expressions that elucidate the role of particle shape in plasmonic behavior.

Findings

Derived explicit polarizability formulas highlighting shape effects

Clarified physical origins of polarizability terms

Enhanced understanding of shape-dependent plasmon resonances

Abstract

Simple analytic expressions for the polarizability of metallic nanoparticles are in wide use in the field of plasmonics, but their origins are not obvious. In this article, expressions for the polarizability of a particle are derived in the quasistatic limit in a manner that allows the physical origin of the terms to be clearly seen. The discussion is tutorial in nature, with particular attention given to the role of particle shape since this is a controlling factor in particle plasmon resonances.