Olivier Pluchery

What is a plasmon? Is it a particle, like a photon or a wave? Plasmonics stands at the frontier of condensed matter physics, which is the world of electrons, optics and of photons. Plasmonics is one of the most active fields in nanophotonics. This book begins by exploring the concepts behind waves, and the electromagnetic description of light when it interacts with metals; it dedicates every chapter thereafter to all aspects of plasmonics. In particular, the surface plasmon polariton wave is explained in full detail, as well as the localized surface plasmon resonance of metallic nanoparticles. The active research area opened by plasmonics, as well as its applications, are also briefly explained, such as advanced biosensing, subwavelength waveguiding, quantum plasmonics, nanoparticle-based cancer therapies, optical nano-antenna and high-efficiency photovoltaic cells. The book is adapted for graduate students and places a special emphasis on providing complete explanations of the fundamental concepts of plasmonics. Further, each of these concepts is illustrated with examples drawn from the most recent scientific literature. Each chapter ends with a set of exercises that will help the reader revise the concepts and go deeper into the world of plasmonics. More than 70 exercises are included.

The fascination with gold is a story which spans millennia, however scientists have recently found a new interest for gold when it is divided into miniscule grains, such as gold nanoparticles. This scientific enthusiasm started in various fields of science in the middle of the 1980s and the present book offers a panorama of the major scientific achievements obtained with gold nanoparticles. Various topics are reviewed such as: gold nanoparticle preparation methods, their plasmon resonance and thermo-optical properties, their catalytic properties, their use in biology and medicine as well as their possible toxicity and, finally, their future technological applications. The book also contains an in-depth study of the use of gold nanoparticles throughout the ages, starting from times where the concept of nanoparticles was beyond the realm of human imagination. All these topics are presented by world-class scientists within a set of self-contained chapters. This book may be used as an advanced textbook by graduate students and scientists who need an introduction to gold nanoparticles. It is also suitable for experts in the related areas of chemistry, biology, material science, optics and physics, who are interested in broadening their knowledge and who wish to have an overview of the subject. Each chapter gradually leads the reader from the basics of a topic towards some of the current scientific challenges in the area. The necessary background material to achieve a solid understanding of each topic and the scientific literature to go further in the field is provided.