Scattering of Surface Plasmon Polaritons by one-dimensional Surface Defects

The reduced Rayleigh equation for the scattering of a surface plasmon polariton incident normally on a one-dimensional ridge or groove on an otherwise planar metal surface is solved by a purely numerical approach. The solution is used to calculate the reflectivity and transmissivity of the surface plasmon polariton and its conversion into volume electromagnetic waves in the vacuum above the metal surface. The results obtained are compared with those of earlier calculations of these quantities. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.155417