Surface plasmon–polariton length scales: a route to sub-wavelength optics
- 21 March 2006
- journal article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics
- Vol. 8 (4), S87-S93
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1464-4258/8/4/s06
Abstract
We look at four length scales associated with the surface plasmon–polariton (SPP) modes in the visible and near-infrared. We examine some of the consequences of these length scales for exploiting surface plasmon–polariton modes as a means to provide sub-wavelength optics. The four length scales discussed are the SPP wavelength, the SPP propagation distance, and the penetration depths of the field associated with the SPP into the dielectric and metal media that bound the interface that supports the SPP. Length scales spanning seven orders of magnitude, from nanometres to centimetres, are of relevance to SPPs. This paper concludes by identifying some of the challenges that lie ahead.Keywords
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