We develop a point-scattering approach to the plane-wave optical transmission of subwavelength metal hole arrays. We present a real space description instead of the more conventional reciprocal space description; this naturally produces interfering resonant features in the transmission spectra and makes explicit the tensorial properties of the transmission matrix. We give transmission spectra simulations for both square and hexagonal arrays; these can be evaluated at arbitrary angles and polarizations.
Influence of hole shape on extraordinary optical transmission was investigated using hole arrays consisting of rectangular holes with different aspect ratio. It was found that the transmission could be tuned continuously by rotating the hole array. Further more, a phase was generated in this process, and linear polarization states could be changed to elliptical polarization states. This phase was correlated with the aspect ratio of the holes. An intuitional model was presented to explain these results.
We present a novel theoretical approach for modeling the resonant properties of transmission through subwavelength apertures penetrating metal films. We show that cavity mode theory applies to an effective resonant cavity whose dimensions are determined by the apertures geometry and the evanescent decay lengths of the associated diffracted waves. This method suggests a concrete physical mechanism for the enhanced transmission observed in periodic aperture arrays, namely it is the evanescently scattered light, localized in the near field of metal surface, which couples into the apertures. Furthermore, it analytically predicts the frequencies of peaks in enhanced transmission, the quality factor of the peaks, and explains their dependence on variation in the hole radius, periodicity, and the film thickness over a wide range of geometries. This model demonstrates strong correlation to simulation and existing results with a high degree of accuracy.
In the Feshbach projection operator formalism, resonance as well as decay phenomena are described by means of the complex eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the non-Hermitian Hamilton operator $H_{rm eff}$ that appears in an intermediate stage of the formalism. The formalism can be applied for the description of isolated resonances as well as for resonances in the overlapping regime. Time asymmetry is related to the time operator which is a part of $H_{rm eff}$. An expression for the decay rates of resonance states is derived. For isolated resonance states $lambda$, this expression gives the fundamental relation $tau_lambda = hbar / Gamma_lambda$ between life time and width of a resonance state. A similar relation holds for the average values obtained for narrow resonances superposed by a smooth background term. In the cross over between these two cases (regime of overlapping resonances), the decay rate decreases monotonously as a function of increasing time.
Light transmission through 2D subwavelength hole arrays in perfect-conductor films is shown to be complete (100%) at some resonant wavelengths even for arbitrarily narrow holes. Conversely, the reflection on a 2D planar array of non-absorbing scatterers is shown to be complete at some wavelengths regardless how weak the scatterers are. These results are proven analytically and corroborated by rigorous numerical solution of Maxwells equations. This work supports the central role played by dynamical diffraction during light transmission through subwavelength hole arrays and it provides a systematics to analyze more complex geometries and many of the features observed in connection with transmission through hole arrays.
We present a fully three-dimensional theoretical study of the extraordinary transmission of light through subwavelength hole arrays in optically thick metal films. Good agreement is obtained with experimental data. An analytical minimal model is also developed, which conclusively shows that the enhancement of transmission is due to tunneling through surface plasmons formed on each metal-dielectric interfaces. Different regimes of tunneling (resonant through a surface plasmon molecule, or sequential through two isolated surface plasmons) are found depending on the geometrical parameters defining the system.