Surface plasmon excitation on a single subwavelength hole in a metallic sheet

The diffraction of light by a single subwavelength hole in a highly conductive metallic sheet is analyzed with a recently developed differential theory that is able to plot the nearly electromagnetic field. Using rigorous electromagnetic and phenomenological analysis, we show that a single subwavelength hole can excite surface-plasmon resonance that contributes greatly to extraordinary transmission. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.