Dramatic localized electromagnetic enhancement in plasmon resonant nanowires

We investigate numerically the plasmon resonances of 10-50 nm nanowires wit h a non-elliptical section. Such wires have a much more complex behavior th an elliptical wires and their resonances span a larger frequency range. The field distribution at the surface of these wires exhibits a dramatic enhan cement, up to several hundred times the incident field amplitude. These str ongly localized fields can provide an important mechanism for surface enhan ced Raman scattering (SERS). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese rved.