  A scheme is presented to catalyze nuclear fusion by the excitation of the
localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of an Au nanobipyramid (NBP) by
ultrafast (femtosecond) laser pulses. The effect utilizes the exceptionally
high electric field enhancement provided by the Au NBP LSPR, localized to nm^3
volumes and fs time scales, to produce a ponderomotive force that in turn
provides for screening energies near the Au NBP tip. Discrete-dipole
approximation (DDA) simulations are presented to support the proposed scheme.
Calculations made with conservative parameters suggest that the effect should
be observable in a laboratory setting using commercially available ultrafast
lasers.

General Physics