Absolute extinction cross sections of individual silver nanocube dimers are measured using spatial modulation spectroscopy in correlation with their transmission electron microscopy images. For very small interparticle distances and an incident light polarized along the dimer axis, we give evidence for a clear splitting of the main dipolar surface plasmon resonance which is found to be essentially induced by cube edge rounding effects. Supported by discrete dipole approximation and finite element method calculations, this phenomenon highlights the high sensitivity of the plasmonic coupling to the exact shape of the effective capacitor formed by the facing surfaces of both particles, especially in the regime of very close proximity.
The physical properties of metals change when their dimensions are reduced to the nano-scale and new phenomena like the Localized Surface-Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) appear. This collective electronic excitation can be tuned over a large spectral range by adapting the material, size and shape. The existing literature is as rich as controversial as e.g. size-dependent spectral shifts of the LSPR in small metal nanoparticles, induced by quantum effects, are reported to the red, to the blue or entirely absent. Here we report how complementary experiments on mass-selected small silver nanoparticles embedded in silica can yield inconsistent results on the same system: while optical absorption shows no size-effect in the range between only a few atoms and ~10 nm, a clear spectral shift is observed in single-particle electron spectroscopy. Our quantitative interpretation, based on a mixed classical/quantum model, resolves the apparent contradictions, not only within our experimental data, but also in the literature. Our comprehensive model describes how the local environment is the crucial parameter controlling the manifestation or absence of size effects.
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