title: Theoretical study of electromagnetic scattering by metal nanoparticles.
abstract: Progress in near-field optical spectroscopy research on metal nanoparticles demands a better understanding of the role of particle-particle and tip-sample interactions. In this perspective, we investigate theoretically, at a very moderate level of sophistication, the optical behavior of simple silver nanoparticle aggregates, in terms of a formalism involving a multipolar expansion of the fields involved, along with a simplified model for the optical behavior of nanostructures previously developed. In particular, the tip-sample interaction is taken into account roughly, treating the tip as an additional, single particle, characterized by proper dielectric behavior.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, Via Risorgimento 35, 56100 Pisa, Italy. sama@dcci.unipi.it
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bruzzone
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malvaldi
authors.forename: Giovanni P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Arrighini
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guidotti