title: Scanning plasmonic microscopy by image reconstruction from the Fourier space.
abstract: We demonstrate a simple scheme for high-resolution imaging of nanoplasmonic structures that basically removes most of the resolution limiting allowed light usually transmitted to the far field. This is achieved by implementing a Fourier lens in a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) operating in the leakage-radiation microscopy (LRM) mode. The method consists of reconstructing optical images solely from the plasmonic 'forbidden' light collected in the Fourier space. It is demonstrated by using a point-like nanodiamond-based tip that illuminates a thin gold film patterned with a sub-wavelength annular slit. The reconstructed image of the slit shows a spatial resolution enhanced by a factor ~/= 4 compared to NSOM images acquired directly in the real space.
authors.affiliation: Institut N´eel, CNRS and Universit´e Joseph Fourier, BP166, 38042 Grenoble Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Oriane
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mollet
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huant
authors.forename: Aurélien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drezet
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000379:methods*