Molecular decay rate near nonlocal plasmonic particles

Area of Science:

• Quantum optics
• Plasmonics
• Nanophysics

Background:

• Optical responses of metal nanoparticles (<10 nm) are affected by spatial dispersion and quantum size effects.
• Confinement of conduction electrons in nanoparticles influences their optical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a nonlocal theoretical scheme for computing molecular decay rates near spherical nanoparticles.
• To incorporate electron-electron interactions into the model using electronic polarizabilities.

Main Methods:

• Schematized plasmonic nanoparticles using dynamic dipolar polarizability (α(NL)(ω)).
• Characterized the quantum system as a two-level system.
• Described light-matter interaction via classical field susceptibilities.

Main Results:

• Developed a nonlocal scheme to model molecular decay rates.
• Included electron-electron interactions and quantum confinement effects.

Conclusions:

• The theoretical framework accurately models quantum phenomena near nanoparticles.
• The approach can be extended to nanoparticles of various shapes and their influence on quantum systems.