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Plasmonic cavities with nanometric gaps will be examined with a view on the limits of the classical description using macroscopic electromagnetism and the consequences of spatial dispersion on short length scales. Mode mapping using electron energy loss spectroscopy reveals that down to separations on the order of one nanometer, no quantum treatment is necessary. Effects of spatial dispersion are predicted using a transformation optics approach, and implementation of the hydrodynamic model into full-field classical simulations. Lastly, a new application of plasmonic nanocavities acting as sinks for the selective removal of unwanted states in active media will be presented.

plasmonics