Plasmonics

3.1 Introduction
In physics, a plasmon is a quantum of plasma oscillation. Just as light (an optical oscillation)
consists of photons, the plasma oscillation consists of plasmons. The plasmon can be
considered as a quasiparticle since it arises from the quantization of plasma oscillations, just
like phonons are quantizations of mechanical vibrations. Thus, plasmons are collective (a
discrete number) oscillations of the free electron gas density. For example, at optical
frequencies, plasmons can couple with a photon to create another quasiparticle called a
plasmon polariton.
3.2 Surface Plasmon
Surface plasmons (SPs) are coherent delocalized electron oscillations that exist at the interface
between any two materials where the real part of the dielectric function changes sign across the
interface (e.g. a metal-dielectric interface, such as a metal sheet in air). SPs have lower energy
than bulk (or volume) plasmons which quantise the longitudinal electron oscillations about
positive ion cores within the bulk of an electron gas (or plasma).

Schematic representation of an electron density wave propagating along a metal–dielectric

interface. The charge density oscillations and associated electromagnetic fields are called
surface plasmon-polariton waves. The exponential dependence of the electromagnetic field
intensity on the distance away from the interface is shown on the right.

These waves can be excited very efficiently with light in the visible range of the electromagnetic
spectrum.
The charge motion in a surface plasmon always creates electromagnetic fields outside (as well
as inside) the metal. The total excitation, including both the charge motion and associated
electromagnetic field, is called either a surface plasmon polariton at a planar interface, or a
localized surface plasmon for the closed surface of a small particle.

3.3 Surface Plasmon Politron

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic waves that travel along a metal–
dielectric or metal–air interface, practically in the infrared or visible-frequency. The term "surface
plasmon polariton" explains that the wave involves both charge motion in the metal ("surface
plasmon") and electromagnetic waves in the air or dielectric ("polariton").[1]

They are a type of surface wave, guided along the interface in much the same way that light can
be guided by an optical fiber. SPPs are shorter in wavelength than the incident light (photons).
[2] Hence, SPPs can have tighter spatial confinement and higher local field intensity.[2]
Perpendicular to the interface, they have subwavelength-scale confinement. An SPP will
propagate along the interface until its energy is lost either to absorption in the metal or
scattering into other directions (such as into free space).
Application of SPPs enables subwavelength optics in microscopy and lithography beyond the
diffraction limit. It also enables the first steady-state micro-mechanical measurement of a
fundamental property of light itself: the momentum of a photon in a dielectric medium. Other
applications are photonic data storage, light generation, and bio-photonics.[2][3][4][5]

Excitation

Figure 1: (a) Kretschmann and (b) Otto configuration of an Attenuated Total Reflection setup for
coupling surface plasmons. In both cases, the surface plasmon propagates along the
metal/dielectric interface

Figure 2: Grating Coupler for Surface Plasmons. The wave vector is increased by the spatial
frequency
SPPs can be excited by both electrons and photons. Excitation by electrons is created by firing
electrons into the bulk of a metal.[6] As the electrons scatter, energy is transferred into the bulk
plasma. The component of the scattering vector parallel to the surface results in the formation of
a surface plasmon polariton.[7]

For a photon to excite an SPP, both must have the same frequency and momentum. However,
for a given frequency, a free-space photon has less momentum than an SPP because the two
have different dispersion relations (see below). This momentum mismatch is the reason that a
free-space photon from air cannot couple directly to an SPP. For the same reason, an SPP on a
smooth metal surface cannot emit energy as a free-space photon into the dielectric (if the
dielectric is uniform). This incompatibility is analogous to the lack of transmission that occurs
during total internal reflection.

Nevertheless, coupling of photons into SPPs can be achieved using a coupling medium such as
a prism or grating to match the photon and SPP wave vectors (and thus match their momenta).
A prism can be positioned against a thin metal film in the Kretschmann configuration or very
close to a metal surface in the Otto configuration (Figure 1). A grating coupler matches the wave
vectors by increasing the parallel wave vector component by an amount related to the grating
period (Figure 2). This method, while less frequently utilized, is critical to the theoretical
understanding of the effect of surface roughness. Moreover, simple isolated surface defects
such as a groove, a slit or a corrugation on an otherwise planar surface provide a mechanism
by which free-space radiation and SPs can exchange energy and hence couple.

3.4 Localized surface plasmon

A localized surface plasmon (LSP) is the result of the confinement of a surface plasmon in a
nanoparticle of size comparable to or smaller than the wavelength of light used to excite the
plasmon. When a small spherical metallic nanoparticle is irradiated by light, the oscillating
electric field causes the conduction electrons to oscillate coherently. When the electron cloud is
displaced relative to its original position, a restoring force arises from Coulombic attraction
between electrons and nuclei. This force causes the electron cloud to oscillate. The oscillation
frequency is determined by the density of electrons, the effective electron mass, and the size
and shape of the charge distribution.[1] The LSP has two important effects: electric fields near
the particle's surface are greatly enhanced and the particle's optical absorption has a maximum
at the plasmon resonant frequency. Surface plasmon resonance can also be tuned based on
the shape of the nanoparticle.[1] The plasmon frequency can be related to the metal dielectric
constant.[1] The enhancement falls off quickly with distance from the surface and, for noble
metal nanoparticles, the resonance occurs at visible wavelengths.[2] Localized surface plasmon
resonance creates brilliant colors in metal colloidal solutions.[3]

Light incident on a metal nanoparticle causes the conduction band electrons to oscillate. This is
the localized surface plasmon.

For metals like silver and gold, the oscillation frequency is also affected by the electrons in d-
orbitals. Silver is a popular choice in plasmonics, which studies the effect of coupling light to
charges, because it can support a surface plasmon over a wide range of wavelengths (300-
1200 nm), and its peak absorption wavelength is easily changed.[2] For instance, the peak
absorption wavelength of triangular silver nanoparticles was altered by changing the corner
sharpness of the triangles. It underwent a blue-shift as corner sharpness of the triangles
decreased.[4] Additionally, peak absorption wavelength underwent a red-shift as a larger
amount of reducing agent (HAuCl4) was added and porosity of the particles increased.[3] For
semiconductor nanoparticles, the maximum optical absorption is often in the near-infrared and
mid-infrared region.[5][6]
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