Analytical model for the excitation of leaky surface plasmon polaritons in the attenuated total reflection configuration

摘要

We propose a fully-analytical model for the excitation of leaky surface plasmon polariton (SPP) in the attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration under illumination by a finite-width beam of electromagnetic wave. The model is built up on the basis of the general unconjugated-form reciprocity theorem and is able to predict the excitation amplitude and phase of the leaky SPP at a quantitative level. The validity of the model is carefully supported through a comparison with the numerical results obtained with the mode orthogonality. With the model a physical understanding of the resonant excitation of the leaky SPP is achieved and the optimal parameters such as the incidence angle and the beam width to ensure an efficient SPP excitation are demonstrated for design tasks.