Polarization analysis of propagating surface plasmons in a subwavelength hole array

Altewischer, E.; Exter, M. P. van; Woerdman, J. P.

doi:10.1364/josab.20.001927

Cited by 56 publications

(51 citation statements)

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“…However, the deviation of M 22 from 1 indicates that the ͑61, 61͒ SPs are not the only SPs involved in the transmission process; other (nonresonant) SPs on both surface apparently contribute. 10 For the hexagonal array [ Fig. 2(b)] the theoretical equality M 11 M 22 also holds quite well.…”

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confidence: 78%

“…If the nonlocal response depends on polarization, the four elements of the 2 3 2 transmission tensor t͑k t , v͒ will exhibit a different angular dependence and the output field E out ͑k t , v͒ will have a spatially dependent polarization even for a polarization-pure input f ield. 10 After spatial integration this transmission process can be captured in the simple relation S out MS in , which relates the input and output Stokes vectors through the 4 3 4 Mueller matrix M. For ideal square and hexagonal arrays the Mueller matrix has been predicted to be diagonal (no mixing of Stokes parameters). 9 For hexagonal arrays, the additional symmetry relation M 11 M 22 holds.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Polarization tomography of metallic nanohole arrays

et al. 2005

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We report polarization tomography experiments on metallic nanohole arrays with square and hexagonal symmetry. As a main result we find that a fully polarized input beam is partly depolarized after transmission through a nanohole array. This loss of polarization coherence is found to be anisotropic; i.e., it depends on the polarization state of the input beam. The depolarization is ascribed to a combination of two factors: (i) the nonlocal response of the array as a result of surface-plasmon propagation and (ii) the non-plane-wave nature of a practical input beam. © 2005 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 230.3990, 240.6680, 260.3910. Currently there is much interest in the optical properties of thin metal films perforated with arrays of subwavelength holes, or nanohole arrays. The optical transmission of these arrays shows a strongly peaked spectrum with anomalously large transmission peak values; this is usually ascribed to resonant excitation of propagating surface electromagnetic waves or surface plasmons (SPs). -3In this Letter we focus on the polarization properties of the anomalous transmission and show that these are strongly inf luenced by the propagating nature of the SPs.So far, polarization properties of nanohole arrays have been studied in a limited context: a beam with a given uniform state of polarization (SOP in ) is transformed by an anisotropic array or an isotropic array with nonspherical holes into a different uniform state of output polarization (SOP out ). 4 -6 This corresponds to a mapping of the Poincaré sphere onto itself; for instance, a rectangular array or a square array with elliptical holes acts as a birefringent and (or) a dichroic element that may convert a linear SOP into an elliptical SOP, conserving polarization coherence. In the present Letter we focus instead on cases where the degree of polarization (DOP) is reduced, DOP out , DOP in , corresponding to a reduction in radius and, in general, a deformation of the Poincaré sphere. 7,8 To underline this point we have chosen for our experiments square and hexagonal arrays, i.e., arrays that, for symmetry reasons, 9 cannot modify the SOP for plane-wave illumination at normal incidence. As we will show, depolarization occurs when two (quite common) conditions are simultaneously fulfilled: (i) the response of the array is nonlocal because of SP propagation, and (ii) the input beam is not a plane wave [but, e.g., a Gaussian beam, with a finite numerical aperture (NA)].In general, depolarization occurs when an optical system acts nonuniformly on polarization within the (spatial or temporal) bandwidth of the incident wave, thereby coupling polarization to other degrees of freedom. Experimentally, a study of depolarization requires a measurement of the Mueller matrix by a tomographic method. 7,8Here we report such polarization-tomography experiments on nanohole arrays and interpret the results in the context of SP propagation.We start by recapitulating the essence of our theoretical model. 9The input and output optical fields ...

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Polarization tomography of metallic nanohole arrays

et al. 2005

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“…As briefly discussed in paragraph 2.1, indeed we could use the 2D slit-arrays calculations from Fig. 1 to predict the 3D hole-array transmission [13].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…According to Altewischer [13] the polarization of light incident on a hole-array is decomposed along its principal axes, which implies that transmission through a 3D array can be seen as the sum of two orthogonal 2D arrays.…”

Section: Calculated Transmitted Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structured illumination microscopy using extraordinary transmission through sub-wavelength hole-arrays

Docter

2007

J. Nanophoton

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Abstract.A new microscopy method for multi diffraction-limited spot illumination is based on extraordinary light transmission through a periodic metal grid (typical period of 600 nm) of sub-wavelength holes (150 nm). Multiple spots illuminate a fluorescently labeled sample and the emission is collected by far-field optics. Theoretical comparison with a confocal microscope reveals equivalent spot sizes and a scanning method with the advantage of multiple illumination spots. The system is used to measure the actual transmitted field with a fluorescent sample in far-field. The obtained results are consistent with the theoretical prediction and provide a proof of concept of the midfield microscope.

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“…This model is only valid for two dimensions, but for 3D the polarization decomposes in linear polarization along the principal axes, for which the hole-array acts like an array of slits [10]. The preferential polarization is along the diagonal of the hole-array.…”

Section: Predicting the Near/far-field Of Eotmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the near-field of extraordinary transmission through a periodic hole-array

et al. 2006

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The knowledge of the near-field of extra-ordinary transmission through hole-arrays is mostly theoretical; there is less experimental validation of the theory. We study the near-field properties by measuring fluorescent molecules that are immersed in a solution and their Brownian motion. The measurements are performed by filling the space above the hole-array with fluorescent solution and exciting these molecules through the hole-array. By measuring both the fluorescence and the direct exciting light, it is possible to learn about the near-field properties.

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Polarization analysis of propagating surface plasmons in a subwavelength hole array

Cited by 56 publications

References 13 publications

Polarization tomography of metallic nanohole arrays

Polarization tomography of metallic nanohole arrays

Structured illumination microscopy using extraordinary transmission through sub-wavelength hole-arrays

Measuring the near-field of extraordinary transmission through a periodic hole-array

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