Plasmons in Finite Spherical Electrolyte Systems: RPA Effective Jellium Model for Ionic Plasma Excitations

Abstract

Plasmons are fundamental collective excitations in many particle charged systems like in free electron liquid in metals, high energy nuclear plasma in solar core or in fusion devices, in ion gas in ionosphere or in intra- and inter-galactic gas clouds. Plasmons play a central role also in small systems, in particular in metallic nanoparticles and in their arrays allowing for subdiffraction light manipulation. In analogy to metallic nanoparticles, we have developed description of the soft plasmonics in finite electrolyte systems confined in micrometer scale by insulating membranes. Plasmon-type excitations in such finite ionic systems are determined via originally formulated theoretical model allowing to describe surface and volume plasmons in confined geometry of the ion liquid. Size-effect for attenuation of surface plasmons in the finite electrolyte system is described and its various regimes are identified. The cross-over in the plasmon damping system-size-dependence is demonstrated including scattering of ions and their energy losses via irradiation. The plasmon resonances in ion systems replicate the metal cluster plasmon phenomena, though in distinct energy and size scale related to larger ion mass and lower ion concentration (in low energy plasma) in comparison to electrons in metals. The possibility for tuning plasmon resonances in finite ionic systems in a wide range by changing system size, ion, and electrolyte parameters is demonstrated.