Spectral changes of light scattered from a random metal suface in the Otto attenuated total reflection configuration

摘要

Abstract: We investigate theoretically changes in the spectrum of light scattered from a system with a random surface (the Wolf effect). The system we consider is the Otto attenuated total reflection configuration that is widely used to couple the incident light to surface polaritons. The angular dependence of the intensity of the light scattered incoherently from this system exhibits sharp, intense peaks at the angles of optimum excitation/radiation of the surface polaritons supported by it. In the vicinity of each of these resonance angles the spectrum of the scattered light is red-shifted for scattering angles larger than this angle, and is blue-shifted for scattering angles smaller than this angle. The magnitude of the shift is three to four orders of magnitude larger than that predicted for disordered volume media. We conclude that the Otto attenuated total reflection configuration is another example of bounded systems with random surfaces which are more attractive subjects for experimental studies of the Wolf effect than systems with a single random surface or disordered volume systems. !6