Abstract

Surface plasmon-polaritons (SPP) are coupled localized transverse magnetic (TM) electromagnetic field-charge density oscillations which may propagate along an interface between two media with dielectric constants of opposite sign (e.g., metal, dielectric). The optical field associated with the charge density oscillations decay evanescently into both media and thus sample the region near the interface. The SPP has momentum along the interface greater than that of a photon of the same frequency in the bulk dielectric. Therefore it is necessary to enhance the momentum of the light incident at the interface in order to couple energy into the SPP thereby producing a surface plasmon resonance (SPR).

© 1994 Optical Society of America