Surface Plasmon Polariton microscope with Parabolic Reflectors

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel two-dimensional surface plasmon polariton microscope utilizing lithographically fabricated parabolic Bragg mirrors, achieving magnification and diffraction-limited spatial resolution for imaging SPPs.

Contribution

It introduces a new SPP microscope design with parabolic Bragg mirrors and validates its optical performance through direct imaging and theoretical predictions.

Findings

Magnification follows geometrical optics predictions

Spatial resolution reaches the diffraction limit

Microscope successfully images surface plasmon polaritons

Abstract

We report the realization of a two--dimensional optical microscope for surface plasmons polaritons (SPPs) based on parabolic Bragg mirrors. These mirrors are built from lithographically fabricated gold nanostructures on gold thin films. We show by direct imaging by leakage radiation microscopy that the magnification power of the SPP microscope follows basic predictions of geometrical optics. Spatial resolution down to the value set by the diffraction limit is demonstrated.