Principal waves in multiply connected waveguide light concentration on subwavelength areas

The use of multiply connected waveguides for localizing and concentrating optical electromagnetic radiation onto areas of subwavelength transverse dimension is substantiated. In optical microscopes, this makes it possible to reach subwavelength resolution along all three spatial coordinates. In experiments where interaction of laser radiation with matter is studied, the subwavelength multiply connected waveguides allow the field intensity in the optical wave to be significantly increased. Applications of subwavelength waveguides in submicrometer photolithograpy, submicrosecond microelectronics, and photogrammetry is discussed, as well as for optical information recording and readout.