Transmission and diffraction properties of a narrow slit in ideal metal

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of how a narrow slit in an ideal metal transmits and diffracts electromagnetic waves, revealing fundamental features across various slit widths and connecting to real metal behaviors.

Contribution

It offers a complete theoretical description of transmission and diffraction for a single slit in ideal metal, covering all slit widths and linking to real metal cases.

Findings

Identification of sharp features in transmission and diffraction efficiencies

Analysis of processes across sub-wavelength to few-wavelength ranges

Connections established between ideal and real metal behaviors

Abstract

By solving Maxwell equations with the ideal-metal boundary conditions in the TM case, we have fully described the transmission and diffraction properties of a single slit regardless of its width. Efficiencies of the main transformation processes -- transmission, diffraction, and reflection -- are analyzed in the sub-to-few-wavelength range showing a number of sharp fundamental features. Close links with the case of real metal are considered.