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Professor Junshan Lin, Auburn University

Abstract: Since the discovery of the extraordinary optical transmission through nanohole arrays in metallic films by Ebbesen, a wealth of research has been sparked in the experimental and theoretical investigation of localized electromagnetic field enhancement in subwavelength nanostructures. This remarkable phenomenon can lead to potentially significant applications in near-field imaging, bio-sensing, etc. However, there has been a long debate on the interpretation of the enhancement effect since Ebbesen’s work. In addition, a quantitative analysis of the field enhancement in subwavelength structures is still widely open. In this talk, using two-dimensional slits as a prototype, I will present mathematical studies of the field enhancement in the subwavlength structures. Based upon the layer potential technique, asymptotic analysis and homogenization theory, the enhancement mechanisms for both the single slit and an array of slits are studied quantitatively. The study is a first step toward the understanding of the enormous enhancement that occurs in a rich collection of nanostructures, and the ongoing explorations along this direction will be highlighted.