ABSTRACTWe report on the experimental observation of localized surface plasmons sustained by small metallic particles using a photon scanning tunneling microscope (PSTM). The surface plasmons are excited in gold nanostructures tailored by electron beam lithography. The constant height operation of the PSTM allowed a direct comparison with theoretical computations of the distribution of the optical near-field intensity. Plasmon coupling above a chain of Au particles and electromagnetic energy transfer from a resonantly excited nanoparticle to a nanowire are demonstrated. Our experimental results appear to be in good agreement with theoretical computations based on the Green's Dyadic Technique.
Surface plasmons in metallic nanoparticles: fundamentals and applications
