title: Optimization of plasmon excitation at structured apertures.
abstract: Surface plasmon excitation that is due to a single or a structured circular aperture in a flat metallic screen is investigated theoretically and numerically with a view to enhancing the electric field close to the metallic surface. A systematic study of the homogeneous solution of the electromagnetic scattering problem is made with cylindrical coordinates, expanding Maxwell equations on a Fourier-Bessel basis. A perturbation analysis devoted to simple physical analyses of different types of cylindrical nanostructure is developed for the optimization of plasmon excitation by a normally incident linearly polarized monochromatic plane wave. The conclusions drawn from this analysis agree well with the results of rigorous electromagnetic calculations obtained with the differential theory of diffraction in cylindrical coordinates.
authors.affiliation: Institut Fresnel, Unité Mixte de Recherche Associée au Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 6133, Université de Provence, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de St. Jérôme, 13397 Marseille 20, France. e.popov@fresnel.fr
authors.forename: Evgeny
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nevière
authors.forename: Anne-Laure
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Fehrembach
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bonod