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Updated: May 9, 2026

Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons

Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons

Published on: July 21, 2018

Focusing and scanning microscopy with propagating surface plasmons.

B Gjonaj¹, J Aulbach, P M Johnson

¹FOM-Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Physical Review Letters

|July 16, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A new surface plasmon polariton (SPP) microscope images beyond the optical diffraction limit. Using a plasmonic lens, it achieves 10 nm scanning resolution for advanced microscopy applications.

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Area of Science:

Optics and Photonics
Nanotechnology
Microscopy

Background:

Conventional optical microscopy is limited by the diffraction limit.
Super-resolution techniques are crucial for detailed nanoscale imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel microscope capable of imaging beyond the optical diffraction limit.
To demonstrate sub-10 nm resolution using surface plasmon polaritons.

Main Methods:

Implementation of a plasmonic lens generated via phase-structured illumination.
Utilizing a metallic nanostructure with alternating hole gratings and bare metal arenas.
Scanning the focused surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) with 10 nm steps.

Main Results:

Achieved imaging resolution below the optical diffraction limit.
Demonstrated precise scanning of the focused SPPs.
Established resolution dependence on the scanning SPP focus size.

Conclusions:

The novel SPP microscope offers unprecedented sub-diffraction imaging capabilities.
Potential applications in biomedical imaging, surface biology, and functionalization chemistry.