Near-field mapping of three-dimensional surface charge poles for hybridized plasmon modes

We describe a new computational approach to mapping three-dimensional (3D) surface charge poles and thus to determine complicated and hybridized plasmon modes in metallic nanostructures via finite element method (FEM) calculations. 3D surface charge distributions at the near-field resonance energies are calculated directly using Gauss' law. For a nanosphere dimer, we demonstrate that higher-order hybridized plasmon modes can be addressed clearly. As an improvement to conventional mapping approaches, this new approach provides a better understanding of comprehensive physical image of plasmonic systems necessary for fundamental studies and spectroscopy applications. (C) 2015 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.