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• Near field properties of two types of metallic cavities with atomic sharpness were calculated. • The considered tip-substrate model shows better performance for field enhancement and emission enhancements. • The nanoparticle-on-mirror structure can lead to more localized plasmon electric field near the nanoparticle. Using finite element calculations, we investigated the near field properties of two types of commonly used metal nanostructures (a tip-substrate model representing a scanning tunneling microscope type setup (TS) and a nanoparticle-on-mirror (NPoM) configuration) with atomic sharpness and extreme focusing capabilities. The spatial confinement and electric field enhancement of the local field as well as the fluorescence quantum efficiency of a model molecule (as represented by an oscillating dipole) in the cavity region of the two models were systematically studied. It was found that the TS model tends to support higher local electric field enhancement while the NPoM model can provide a more localized plasmon electric field near the nanoparticle. Calculations with the radiating model molecule indicate that both TS and NPoM can cause significant enhancements to the non-radiative decay rates at the order of 106 in the wavelength range of 500–1000 nm. The TS model shows better performance for the radiative enhancements and the resulting emission quantum yield. These results are not only helpful to improve the understanding of such important nanocavities but also supply a reference for their further applications in different areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]