title: Nonlocal effects in the nanofocusing performance of plasmonic tips.
abstract: The nanofocusing performance of plasmonic tips is studied analytically and numerically. The effects of electron-electron interactions in the dielectric response of the metal are taken into account through the implementation of a nonlocal, spatially dispersive, hydrodynamic permittivity. We demonstrate that spatial dispersion only slightly modifies the device parameters which maximize its field enhancement capabilities. The interplay between nonlocality, tip bluntness, and surface roughness is explored. We show that, although spatial dispersion reduces the field enhancement taking place at the structure apex, it also diminishes the impact that geometric imperfections have on its performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ.
authors.forename: Aeneas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiener
authors.forename: Antonio I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Fernández-Domínguez
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Horsfield
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Pendry
authors.forename: Stefan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maier
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008027:Light; D008956:Models, Chemical; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation*