Plasmonic excitations in mesoscopic-sized atomic chains：a tight-binding model

Abstract

Plasmonic excitations in mesoscopic-sized atomic chains are investigated by employing the tight-binding model. Based on the quantum response theory and random phase approximation, a plasma oscillation eigen-frequency equation is derived for calculation of the plasmon energy spectrum. The plasmon energy spectrum has been numerically calculated, and the eigen-oscillation of the system and the resonance behavior under the external electric field applied on the atom chain are investigated, respectively. Dependence of plasmonic excitation energy on the length of systems and electron density has been discussed. Results suggest that in the case of resonance, the resonant peak of dipole moment is corresponding to the plasmonic excitation, and this indicates that the external electric field excites the plasmon of the system. In resonance the oscillation amplitude of the charge is much larger than that in the case of non-resonance, especially the imaginary part of the charge has a more obvious enhancement. For the eigen-oscillations, the plasmonic excitation energy is greater than the single-particle excitation state at the same level; the length of atomic chains, the electron density, and the strength of Coulomb correlation have significant effects on the plasmon spectroscopy. For the given atom-chain length, with variation of number of electrons, the plasmonic excitation energy varies symmetrically around the half-filling. This indicates that the plasmon spectrum of the system is symmetrical for the electrons and holes.