Optical transmission through subwavelength slit apertures in metallic films

Transmission of polarized light through subwavelength slit apertures is studied in visible and near infrared range wavelengths. We examine the roles played by the slit apertures, such as length, depth, period and number of slits. The experiment results, including dispersion curves, demonstrate among other things that the surface plasmon polariton and Fabry-Perot waveguide modes collectively dictate the transmission properties of subwavelength slit arrays and that as they approach each other, not only large gaps are formed but also mode interconversion occurs. These findings are discussed and compared to theoretical predictions.