Font Size: 

Plasmonic nanoantennas change dramatically their optical response when their constituent nanostructures are closely located in subnanometer proximity. In this regime, electron tunneling across a cavity between metallic surfaces is triggered out, producing an emergence and redistribution of antenna modes. A collapse of the near-field at the cavity is also associated with the tunneling events. We present a quantum corrected model (QCM) that allows for including these quantum effects in a classical description of the optical response of large-scale plasmonic systems. Based on this model, it is possible to study the effect of tunneling in realistic plasmonic configurations such as in plasmonic dimers or in bowtie antennas.