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Small and beautiful

Plasmonics

Nature Materials volume 9, pages S18–S19 (2010)Cite this article

Modern plasmonics started with a publication in 1998 by Thomas Ebbesen and colleagues, who observed a surprisingly efficient light transmission through a thin metal film with holes ten times smaller than the wavelength of light. Additionally, more light was transmitted through the film than was incident onto the area of the holes. Eventually, Ebbesen was able to explain his observations with the properties of surface-plasmon polaritons (SPPs).

SPPs consist of photons that interact with the surface motions of free electrons in metals. Plasmonic effects have inadvertently been exploited by glass makers since at least the fourth century, for example to generate the colours used in stained-glass windows in medieval cathedrals.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Editor, Nature Photonics,

    David Pile

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  1. David Pile
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Pile, D. Small and beautiful. Nature Mater 9 (Suppl 1), S18–S19 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2657

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