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PUBLICATIONS

Optical Properties of Small Metal Spheres: Surface Effects

Published

Author(s)

David R. Penn, S Apell

Abstract

It has been assumed that the optical properties of small spheres can be understood by means of a Drude dielectric function that incorporates a boundary scattering rate 1 / τs~=vF / R, where vF is the Fermi velocity and R is the sphere radius. An effective scattering rate 1 / τs=fvF / R is calculated and f is evaluated as a function of photon frequency. The largest contribution to f is due to the electron density profile of the sphere rather than the boundary scattering that is reduced an order of magnitude by electron screening.
Citation
Physical Review Letters
Volume
50
Issue
17
Pub Type
Journals
Condensed matter

Citation

Penn, D. and Apell, S. (1983), Optical Properties of Small Metal Spheres: Surface Effects, Physical Review Letters (Accessed October 10, 2025)

Issues

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Created April 25, 1983, Updated February 19, 2017
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