Transformation-optics description of nonlocal effects in plasmonic nanostructures

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Mar 9;108(10):106802. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.106802. Epub 2012 Mar 6.

Abstract

We develop an insightful transformation-optics approach to investigate the impact that nonlocality has on the optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures. The light-harvesting performance of a dimer of touching nanowires is studied by using the hydrodynamical Drude model, which reveals nonlocal resonances not predicted by previous local calculations. Our method clarifies the interplay between radiative and nonlocal effects in this nanoparticle configuration, which enables us to elucidate the optimum size that maximizes its absorption and field enhancement capabilities.