Charge oscillation-induced light transmission through subwavelength slits and holes

Abstract

We present a concrete picture of spoof surface plasmons (SSPs) combined with cavity resonance to clarify the basic mechanism underlying extraordinary light transmission through metal films with subwavelength slits or holes. This picture may indicate a general mechanism of metallic nanostructure optics: When light is incident on a non-planar conducting surface, the free electrons cannot move homogeneously in response to the incident electric field, i.e., their movement can be impeded at the rough parts, forming inhomogeneous charge distributions. The oscillating charges/dipoles then emit photons (similar to Thomson scattering of x rays by oscillating electrons), and the interference between the photons may give rise to anomalous transmission, reflection or scattering.

4 pages, 4 figures, are "surface plasmons" true for conducting structures? Answere is here. Also see the new arXiv:0903.3565v1, the expansion of this paper

References in corpus (4)

• Transmission resonances on metallic gratings with very narrow slits
• On the transmission of light through a single rectangular hole
• Optical properties of tungsten thin films perforated with a bidimensional array of subwavelength holes
• Resonant backward scattering of light by a two-side-open subwavelength metallic slit

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Fundamental mechanism underlying subwavelength optics of metamaterials: Charge oscillation-induced light emission and interference
• Enhanced Transmission of Light and Particle Waves through Subwavelength Nanoapertures by Far-Field Interference
• Interference-induced enhancement of intensity and energy of a multimode quantum optical field by a subwavelength array of coherent light sources