Demonstration of Nanofocusing by the use of Plasmonic Lens Illuminated with Radially Polarized Light

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate the focusing of surface plasmon polaritons by a plasmonic lens illuminated with radially polarized light. The field distribution is characterized by near-field scanning optical microscope. A sharp focal spot corresponding to a zero-order Bessel function is observed. For comparison, the plasmonic lens is also measured with linearly polarized light illumination, resulting in two separated lobes. Finally, we verify that the focal spot maintains its width along the optical axis of the plasmonic lens. The results demonstrate the advantage of using radially polarized light for nanofocusing applications involving surface plasmon polaritons.