title: Surface quality and surface waves on subwavelength-structured silver films.
abstract: We analyze the physical-chemical surface properties of single-slit, single-groove subwavelength-structured silver films with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and calculate exact solutions to Maxwell's equations corresponding to recent far-field interferometry experiments using these structures. Contrary to a recent suggestion the surface analysis shows that the silver films are free of detectable contaminants. The finite-difference time-domain calculations, in excellent agreement with experiment, show a rapid fringe amplitude decrease in the near zone (slit-groove distance out to 3-4 wavelengths). Extrapolation to slit-groove distances beyond the near zone shows that the surface wave evolves to the expected bound surface plasmon polariton (SPP). Fourier analysis of these results indicates the presence of a distribution of transient, evanescent modes around the SPP that dephase and dissipate as the surface wave evolves from the near to the far zone.
authors.affiliation: IRSAMC/LCAR, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Alloschery
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lezec
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Dwyer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sukharev
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seideman