Quantum mechanical study of the coupling of plasmon excitations to atomic-scale electron transport

The coupling of optical excitation and electron transport through a sodium atom in a plasmonic dimer junction is investigated using time-dependent density functional theory. The optical absorption and dynamic conductance is determined as a function of gap size. Surface plasmons are found to couple to atomic-scale transport through several different channels including dipolar, multipolar, and charge transfer plasmon modes. These findings provide insight into subnanoscale couplings of plasmons and atoms, a subject of general interest in plasmonics and molecular electronics.