Demonstrating the angular, wavelength and polarization dependence of surface plasmon resonance on thin gold films—An undergraduate experiment

This paper describes the design of a simple and compact optical system capable of examining fundamental properties of light coupling to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on a thin gold film. The setup, involving a rotatable Attenuated Total Reflection device, from which the reflected light is focused by means of a parabolic mirror, allows for the investigation of the dependence of the reflected intensity on the angle of incidence without moving the detector. It additionally makes provision for a convenient exchange of light sources or the possibility to incorporate a broadband source suitable to investigate SPR at different wavelengths. Theoretical simulation of the experimental data is provided, as well as straightforward calculations for exploring the physics of light excited waves propagating on a surface.