Surface electromagnetic field radiated by a subwavelength hole in a metal film

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Aug 13;105(7):073902. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.073902. Epub 2010 Aug 11.

Abstract

We present an analytical expression for the electromagnetic field at the surface radiated by a hole in a metal film. This expression is valid for any metal, from the optical range to longer wavelengths, and for distances to the hole larger than a few tens of nanometers. The field pattern presents a rich behavior, showing three regions (a complex short distance, an intermediate range dominated by surface plasmon polaritons, and a long-distance one dominated by Norton waves). The crossover distances between these regimes depend strongly on both the wavelength and the angle with respect to the incident field.