Theory and computation of hot carriers generated by surface plasmon polaritons in noble metals.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 26033445.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms8044 and PMC identifier 4458868.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Hot carriers (HC) generated by surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in noble metals are promising for application in optoelectronics, plasmonics and renewable energy. However, existing models fail to explain key quantitative details of SPP-to-HC conversion experiments. Here we develop a quantum mechanical framework and apply first-principles calculations to study the energy distribution and scattering processes of HCs generated by SPPs in Au and Ag. We find that the relative positions of the s and d bands of noble metals regulate the energy distribution and mean free path of the HCs, and that the electron-phonon interaction controls HC energy loss and transport. Our results prescribe optimal conditions for HC generation and extraction, and invalidate previously employed free-electron-like models. Our work combines density functional theory, GW and electron-phonon calculations to provide microscopic insight into HC generation and ultrafast dynamics in noble metals.