Abstract
In this paper, we seek to demonstrate spatial near field light confinement with a truly sub-wavelength resolution in the visible range. For that purpose, an opaque metallic screen is pierced with an array of rectangular nano-apertures which support polarization sensitive guided modes. We show that it is possible to switch on and off sub-wavelength apertures about only 200 nanometers away. Theoretical results have been performed (3D-FDTD home-made code) and are in good agreement with the experimental results. These kinds of nano-structures might offer a convenient and versatile way to sub-wavelength light addressing, optical trapping, molecular, or nano-probing, non-linear spectroscopy.
Highlights
The control of sub-wavelength light confinement is still a big challenge for several applications covering areas ranging from the miniaturization of optical devices to nano-medicine through data storage, single molecule detection, and nanoparticles trapping
This idea was recently proposed by Baida [19], where spatiotemporal control of light confinement is achieved in linear regime by formatting the incident beam simultaneously through its instantaneous polarization, amplitude, and phase
We have demonstrated a control of the near field light confinement in the vicinity of specific nano-structures by adjusting the linear polarization of the incident field
Summary
The control of sub-wavelength light confinement is still a big challenge for several applications covering areas ranging from the miniaturization of optical devices to nano-medicine through data storage, single molecule detection, and nanoparticles trapping. The easiest way to meet this constraint of electro-magnetic localization has been, for several years, in the use of optical near field microscope probes [1, 2] or nano-antennas [3,4,5] Research in this area is still very long focused on the optimization of these probes to allow efficient detection and/or emission of the light field while keeping this character of the local measure. Guided modes inside apertures engraved into an opaque metallic screen are responsible for the near-field light confinement This idea was recently proposed by Baida [19], where spatiotemporal control of light confinement is achieved in linear regime by formatting the incident beam simultaneously through its instantaneous polarization, amplitude, and phase. Only spatial control will be addressed in this paper thanks to rectangular nano-slits
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