Abstract
A theoretical study is performed on the plasmonic properties of a metal nanoparticle encapsulated by a large microsphere, where the microsphere's diameter is comparable with or larger than the incident wavelength. Due to interaction between the reflected and refracted waves, we show that a unique optical interference (or whisper-gallery-mode-like) pattern is generated inside the microsphere. Such an interference pattern further interacts with the metal nanoparticle embedded inside, which modifies the spectral response of the metal NP and creates a convolutional-surface-plasmon resonance (cSPR). The peak of resultant cSPR oscillates periodically with respect to the microsphere's diameter due to the repeated occurrence of the constructive and destructive interferences. Our results also show that the periodicity of oscillation is mainly determined by the microsphere's refractive index, but is less independent on the metal nanoparticle's size. These findings might be potentially utilized in designing multi-scale plasmon structures in various applications such as sensors, drug delivery and photocatalysis.