high performance computing on graphics processing units: hgpu.org

In this thesis, we examine the optical properties of metallic nanostructures with typical feature sizes of the order of visible light. The interaction of light with such structures can be accurately described by classical electrodynamics. Thus, for the analysis of metallic nanostructures within this thesis, we will employ Maxwell’s equations [1] to model the physical behavior of the electromagnetic fields. On these length-scales, light does not respond to the atomic-scale variation induced by the individual nuclei and electrons of matter, and, hence, a rigorous treatment in terms of quantum electrodynamics is not required.