title: Coupling to Surface Waves with Prisms via Attenuated Total Reflection.
abstract: A summary of the prism technique for optical coupling to nonradiative surface waves, particularly surface plasmons, is given. Equations for dispersion relations, lifetimes, and leakages are presented in approximate form for small absorption, and in some cases, the exact equations are given. The details of design, fabrication, and use of a parallelopiped prism are discussed for commercial spectrometers. The information presented here should suffice for study of surface plasmons, surface phonons, etc., from the visible to the far infrared wavelengths.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Tyler