Interference of surface waves in a metallic nanoslit

We investigate the interference of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) with an incident beam on a metallic slit using the FDTD. We find that the bulk waves radiated at the slit edge by scattering of the SPP leak into the slit and induce accumulated charges within the skin depth, which excite new SPPs on the slit side-walls. The SPP on the top surface of aperture is coupled into the slit and induces the 2D asymmetric field distributions, including the horizontal and vertical Fabry-Perot multi-reflection resonator modes. We show that the addition of these modes with the slit wave-guide modes induced by a normally incident beam is the interference between the SPP and the incident beam, which enhances or suppresses the slit transmission, depending on their relative phase. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.