Confinement effects in the optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals

We discuss the implications of electromagnetic confinement in the optical properties of nanocrystals. The test case is silicon nanocrystals containing up to 71 silicon atoms, although the main conclusions are valid for generic semiconductor nanocrystals. The energy-resolved electric susceptibility is shown to be dominated by a plasmon resonance, having little resemblance with the dielectric function of the constituent material. (c) 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.