title: Bridging quantum and classical plasmonics with a quantum-corrected model.
abstract: Electromagnetic coupling between plasmonic resonances in metallic nanoparticles                 allows for engineering of the optical response and generation of strong localized                 near-fields. Classical electrodynamics fails to describe this coupling across                 sub-nanometer gaps, where quantum effects become important owing to non-local                 screening and the spill-out of electrons. However, full quantum simulations are not                 presently feasible for realistically sized systems. Here we present a novel                 approach, the quantum-corrected model (QCM), that incorporates quantum-mechanical                 effects within a classical electrodynamic framework. The QCM approach models the                 junction between adjacent nanoparticles by means of a local dielectric response that                 includes electron tunnelling and tunnelling resistivity at the gap and can be                 integrated within a classical electrodynamical description of large and complex                 structures. The QCM predicts optical properties in excellent agreement with fully                 quantum mechanical calculations for small interacting systems, opening a new venue                 for addressing quantum effects in realistic plasmonic systems.
authors.affiliation: Material Physics Center CSIC-UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 5, Donostia-San Sebastián 20018, Spain.
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.forename: Andrei G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Borisov
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nordlander
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aizpurua