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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
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Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
Published on: July 21, 2018
Summary
Surface plasmon properties are analyzed for bounded beams in attenuated total reflection (ATR). Beam shape significantly affects plasmon intensity and location, offering new diagnostic methods.
Area of Science:
- Plasmonics
- Optics
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Surface plasmons are crucial for light-matter interactions.
- Attenuated total reflection (ATR) is a common method to excite surface plasmons.
- Previous studies often assumed plane wave incidence, neglecting beam effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the field properties of surface plasmons excited by bounded beams in ATR.
- To analyze the impact of beam shape and width on plasmon behavior.
- To explore new methods for characterizing plasmons using beam properties.
Main Methods:
- Analytical derivation for multilayered configurations.
- Simulation of beam wave coupling in ATR geometry.
- Analysis of reflected and transmitted fields for Gaussian and rectangular beams.
Main Results:
- Reflected fields are distorted compared to incident beams at phase matching.
- Power intensity within the metal can be lower than plane wave predictions.
- Maximum power density shifts for Gaussian beams; propagation length is derivable from reflected profiles for rectangular beams.
Conclusions:
- Bounded beam incidence significantly alters surface plasmon characteristics in ATR.
- Beam properties offer a novel way to probe plasmon propagation length and behavior.
- ATR systems can be simulated using spatial operators like differentiators and integrators.
