Surface electromagnetic waves on layered systems with damping

Abstract

The dispersion curves, propagation distances, and Poynting vectors of surface electromagnetic waves propagating on a system of Cu-${\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}$O-air with variable film thickness have been calculated using the full dispersion realation including damping. Double-dip structure in the propagation distance for intermediately thick overlayers, the shifting of one dip below ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{TO}}$, and the presence of the other dip at ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{LO}}$ are explained in terms of features of the dispersion curve. The complete Poynting-vector calculations show that predictions of field bunching at ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{LO}}$ are probably in error.