Surface plasmon polaritons on metallic surfaces

A unified theoretical study of surface plasmon polaritons on flat metallic surfaces and interfaces is undertaken to clarify the nature of these electromagnetic waves, conditions under which they are launched, and the restrictions imposed by Maxwell's equations that ultimately determine the strength of the excited plasmons. Finite Difference Time Domain computer simulations are used to provide a clear picture of the electromagnetic field distribution and the energy flow profile in a specific situation. The examined case involves the launching of plasmonic waves on the entrance facet of a metallic host perforated by a subwavelength slit, and the (simultaneous) excitation of the slit's guided mode. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.