Scattering from a slightly random, one-dimensional metal surface: 45° linearly polarized incidence, backscattering enhancement and degree of polarization

The scattering of an electromagnetic wave from a slightly random metal surface which supports the surface plasmon mode at optical frequencies is studied theoretically by means of a stochastic functional approach. In order to investigate the Stokes matrix or the state of polarizations, as well as the intensity of the scattered waves, the rough surface is assumed to be one dimensional, and is illuminated by a+45° linearly polarized plane electromagnetic (light) wave whose plane of incidence is perpendicular to the grooves of the surface. The stochastic wave fields are represented in terms of the Wiener-Hermite functionals, and the approximate solutions of the Wiener kernels are obtained for both TM- and TE-polarized components, from which the Stokes matrix elements can be determined. The dressed or perturbed plasmon mode in the presence of surface roughness is obtained by a mass operator involved in the solutions, and the enhanced backscattering closely related to the plasmon mode is studied in connection with the enhanced peak width and the mass operator for the dressed plasmon mode. The Stokes parameters and the degree of polarization are calculated numerically from various polarized components of the incoherent scattering distribution. To clarify the surface plasmon's association with the scattering characteristics, calculations are made for two kinds of random surfaces, a random surface with a centred Gaussian spectrum and a random grating with twin spectral peaks at the plasmon spatial frequency.