title: Strong polarization in the optical transmission through elliptical nanohole arrays.
abstract: Strong polarization dependence is observed in the optical transmission through nanohole arrays in metals. It is shown that the degree of polarization is determined by the ellipticity and orientation of the holes; the polarization axis lies perpendicular to the broad edge of the ellipse. Furthermore, the depolarization ratio shows a squared dependence on the aspect ratio of the holes, which is discussed in terms of coupling into and out of the surface plasmon modes. The observed results will be useful for tailoring the polarization behavior of metallic nanophotonic elements in many applications, including surface plasmon enhanced optical sensing and ultrafast optical switching.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3055, Victoria, Canada, V8W 3P6.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Brolo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McKinnon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rajora
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leathem
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kavanagh