Electron energy loss in dense arrays of metallic particles

Abstract

We introduce a new way of treating energy loss from fast charged particles in matter in which the virtual electromagnetic waves emitted by an electron in vacuo are renormalised by reflection from and refraction by the medium giving an efficient route to computations of the loss spectrum from complex nanostructures, encompassing plasmon losses, Cherenkov radiation losses, and the Smith-Purcell effect in one formula. Calculations are presented for a colloid of aluminium spheres, and the validity of effective medium theory investigated and found to be accurate.