Coupling strength of complex plasmonic structures in the multiple dipole approximation

We present a simple model to calculate the spatial dependence of the interaction strength between two plasmonic objects. Our approach is based on a multiple dipole approximation and utilizes the current distributions at the resonances in single objects. To obtain the interaction strength, we compute the potential energy of discrete weighted dipoles associated with the current distributions of the plasmonic modes in the scattered fields of their mutual partners. We investigate in detail coupled stacked plasmonic wires, stereometamaterials and plasmon-induced transparency materials. Our calculation scheme includes retardation and can be carried out in seconds on a standard PC. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America