  We have shown that alloying a noble metal (gold) with another metal
(cadmium), which can contribute two electrons per atom to a free electron gas,
can significantly improve the metals optical properties in certain wavelength
ranges and make them worse in the other parts of the spectrum. In particular,
in the gold-cadmium alloy we have demonstrated a significant expansion of the
spectral range of metallic reflectance to shorter wavelengths. The experimental
results and the predictions of the first principles theory demonstrate an
opportunity for the improvement and optimization of low-loss metals for
nanoplasmonic and metamaterials applications.
