  The effect of the electron temperature on both the light absorption and the
scattering by metal nanoparticles (MNs) with excitation of the surface plasmon
electron vibrations is studied in the framework of the kinetic theory. The
formulae for electroconductivity and polarizability tensors are derived for
finite temperatures of an electron gas. The electrical conductivity and the
halfwidth of the surface plasmon resonance are studied in detail for a
spherical MN. Depending on the size of MN, the efficiencies of light absorption
and scattering with the temperature change are investigated. It is found, in
particular, that the absorption efficiency can both increase and decrease with
a temperature drop. The derived formulas make it possible to analytically
calculate various optical and transport phenomena for MNs of any spheroidal
shape embedded in any dielectric media.
