Unveiling Influence of Dielectric Losses on the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance in (Al,Ga)As:Sb Metamaterials.

We perform numerical modeling of the optical absorption spectra of metamaterials composed of systems of semimetal antimony nanoparticles embedded into AlxGa1-xAs semiconductor matrices. We reveal a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in these metamaterials, which results in a strong optical extinction band below, near, or above the direct band gap of the semiconductor matrices, depending on the chemical composition of the solid solutions. We elucidate the role of dielectric losses in AlxGa1-xAs, which impact the LSPR and cause non-plasmonic optical absorption.

Quantum-Size Effects in Ultra-Thin Gold Films on Pt(111) Surface.

We calculate, within the density-functional theory, the atomic and electronic structure of the clean Pt(111) and Au(111) surfaces and the ML-Au/Pt(111) systems with varying from one to three. The effect of the spin-orbital interaction was taken into account. Several new electronic states with strong localization in the surface region were found and discussed in the case of clean surfaces.

Plasmon Resonance in a System of Bi Nanoparticles Embedded into (Al,Ga)As Matrix.

We reveal the feasibility of the localized surface plasmon resonance in a system of Bi nanoparticles embedded into an AlxGa1-xAs semiconductor matrix. With an ab initio determined dielectric function for bismuth and well-known dielectric properties of AlxGa1-xAs solid solution, we performed calculations of the optical extinction spectra for such metamaterial using Mie's theory. The calculations demonstrate a strong band of the optical extinction using the localized surface plasmons near a photon energy of 2.

Quantum Plasmonics in Sub-Atom-Thick Optical Slots.

We show using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) that light can be confined into slot waveguide modes residing between individual atomic layers of coinage metals, such as gold. As the top atomic monolayer lifts a few Å off the underlying bulk Au (111), ab initio electronic structure calculations show that for gaps >1.5 Å, visible light squeezes inside the empty slot underneath, giving optical field distributions 2 Å thick, less than the atomic diameter.

Unusual Low-Energy Collective Charge Excitations in High- Cuprate Superconductors.

Despite decades of intensive experimental and theoretical efforts, the physics of cuprate high-temperature superconductors in general, and, in particular, their normal state, is still under debate. Here, we report our investigation of low-energy charge excitations in the normal state. We find that the peculiarities of the electronic band structure at low energies have a profound impact on the nature of the intraband collective modes.

Multipole Excitations and Nonlocality in 1d Plasmonic Nanostructures.

Efficient simulation methods for taking nonlocal effects in nanostructures into account have been developed, but they are usually computationally expensive or provide little insight into underlying physics. A multipolar expansion approach, among others, holds promise to properly describe electromagnetic interactions in complex nanosystems. Conventionally, the electric dipole dominates in plasmonic nanostructures, while higher order multipoles, especially the magnetic dipole, electric quadrupole, magnetic quadrupole, and electric octopole, can be responsible for many optical phenomena.

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance in Metamaterials Composed of AsSb Semimetal Nanoparticles in AlGaAsSb Semiconductor Matrix.

We analyze the possibility to realize a localized surface plasmon resonance in metamaterials composed of As1-zSbz nanoparticles embedded in an AlxGa1-xAs1-ySby semiconductor matrix. To this end, we perform ab initio calculations of the dielectric function of the As1-zSbz materials. Changing the chemical composition , we trace the evolution of the band structure, dielectric function, and loss function.

Acoustic Plasmons in Nickel and Its Modification upon Hydrogen Uptake.

In this work, we study, in the framework of the ab initio linear-response time-dependent density functional theory, the low-energy collective electronic excitations with characteristic sound-like dispersion, called acoustic plasmons, in bulk ferromagnetic nickel. Since the respective spatial oscillations in slow and fast charge systems involve states with different spins, excitation of such plasmons in nickel should result in the spatial variations in the spin structure as well. We extend our study to NiHx with different hydrogen concentrations .

Impact of the energy dispersion anisotropy on the plasmonic structure in a two-dimensional electron system.

The effect of the band structure anisotropy (triangular, square, and hexagonal wrapping) on the electronic collective excitations (plasmons) in a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is studied in the framework of the random-phase approximation. We show that the dynamical dielectric response in these systems strongly depends on the direction of the in-plane momentum transfer . The effect is so pronounced that it results in a different number of electronic collective excitations in some regions, both with - and ∼-like energy dispersions.

Screening in Graphene: Response to External Static Electric Field and an Image-Potential Problem.

We present a detailed first-principles investigation of the response of a free-standing graphene sheet to an external perpendicular static electric field . The charge density distribution in the vicinity of the graphene monolayer that is caused by was determined using the pseudopotential density-functional theory approach. Different geometries were considered.

Electronic Temperature and Two-Electron Processes in Overbias Plasmonic Emission from Tunnel Junctions.

The accurate determination of electronic temperatures in metallic nanostructures is essential for many technological applications, like plasmon-enhanced catalysis or lithographic nanofabrication procedures. In this Letter, we demonstrate that the electronic temperature can be accurately measured by the shape of the tunnel electroluminescence emission edge in tunnel plasmonic nanocavities, which follows a universal thermal distribution with the bias voltage as the chemical potential of the photon population. A significant deviation between electronic and lattice temperatures is found below 30 K for tunnel currents larger than 15 nA.

Modification of a Shockley-Type Surface State on Pt(111) upon Deposition of Gold Thin Layers.

We present a first-principles fully-relativistic study of surface and interface states in the one monolayer (ML) Au/Pt(111) heterostructures. The modification of an unoccupied s - p -type surface state existing on a Pt(111) surface at the surface Brillouin zone center upon deposition of a few atomic Au layers is investigated. In particular, we find that the transformation process of such a surface state upon variation of the Au adlayer thickness crucially depends on the nature of the relevant quantum state in the adsorbate.

Angular momentum-induced delays in solid-state photoemission enhanced by intra-atomic interactions.

Attosecond time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals that photoemission from solids is not yet fully understood. The relative emission delays between four photoemission channels measured for the van der Waals crystal tungsten diselenide (WSe) can only be explained by accounting for both propagation and intra-atomic delays. The intra-atomic delay depends on the angular momentum of the initial localized state and is determined by intra-atomic interactions.

Direct observation of many-body charge density oscillations in a two-dimensional electron gas.

Quantum interference is a striking manifestation of one of the basic concepts of quantum mechanics: the particle-wave duality. A spectacular visualization of this effect is the standing wave pattern produced by elastic scattering of surface electrons around defects, which corresponds to a modulation of the electronic local density of states and can be imaged using a scanning tunnelling microscope. To date, quantum-interference measurements were mainly interpreted in terms of interfering electrons or holes of the underlying band-structure description.

Plasmons in nanoscale and atomic-scale systems.

Plasmons in metallic nanomaterials exhibit very strong size and shape effects, and thus have recently gained considerable attention in nanotechnology, information technology, and life science. In this review, we overview the fundamental properties of plasmons in materials with various dimensionalities and discuss the optical functional properties of localized plasmon polaritons in nanometer-scale to atomic-scale objects. First, the pioneering works on plasmons by electron energy loss spectroscopy are briefly surveyed.

Low-energy acoustic plasmons at metal surfaces.

Nearly two-dimensional (2D) metallic systems formed in charge inversion layers and artificial layered materials permit the existence of low-energy collective excitations, called 2D plasmons, which are not found in a three-dimensional (3D) metal. These excitations have caused considerable interest because their low energy allows them to participate in many dynamical processes involving electrons and phonons, and because they might mediate the formation of Cooper pairs in high-transition-temperature superconductors. Metals often support electronic states that are confined to the surface, forming a nearly 2D electron-density layer.