Abstract
We present an explicit form of the surface plasmon propagator. Its form has the structure of a vectorial Huygens-Fresnel principle. The propagator appears to be a powerful tool to deal with diffraction, interference and focusing of surface plasmons. In contrast with the scalar approximation used so far, the vectorial propagator accounts for near-field and polarization effects. We illustrate the potential of the propagator by studying diffraction of surface plasmons by a slit and focusing of surface plasmons by a Fresnel lens.
Highlights
Recent advances in nanofabrication and the desire to miniaturize photonic circuits have renewed the interest in plasmonics [1, 2]
In contrast with the scalar approximation used so far, the vectorial propagator accounts for near-field and polarization effects
We illustrate the potential of the propagator by studying diffraction of surface plasmons by a slit and focusing of surface plasmons by a Fresnel lens
Summary
Recent advances in nanofabrication and the desire to miniaturize photonic circuits have renewed the interest in plasmonics [1, 2]. We will show that the basic principles of Fourier optics developed for light propagation in a vacuum can be extended to surface plasmons This will provide an adequate framework for dealing with surface-plasmons optical systems. In this paper we derive the exact form of the vectorial propagator of the surface-plasmon field This provides a rigorous foundation for surface-plasmon Fourier optics. Using this propagator, one can analyse the potential and limitations of surface-plasmon imaging. To illustrate the use of the propagator, we discuss diffraction of a surface-plasmon field by a slit and we compare the results with the scalar approximation. This comparison shows a further limitation of the scalar approximation. We examine the resolution limit, the focal shift, and the effect of losses
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