Rigorous Analysis of Electromagnetic Scattering by Grating of Plasmonic Nanorods Coupled to Magneto-Optical Slab

A rigorous self-contained formulation for analyzing electromagnetic scattering by a grating of plasmonic nanorods (Ag) coupled to a magneto-optical slab is presented. Bi-substituted gadolinium iron garnet is considered as the magneto-optical material. We measured the dielectric permittivity of the iron garnet and utilized the experimental data in our analyses. The method uses the Lattice Sums technique combined with the generalized reflection matrix approach. Using the method, the spectral response in reflectance as well as near-field distributions at resonance wavelengths have been numerical studied. Special attention has been paid to the coupling mechanism between the plasmonic grating and the magneto-optical slab. Physical insight is given to the strong field enhancement inside the magneto-optical material due to coupling with the plasmonic grating. Generalization of the method to the multilayered sandwiched structures, where the metal layer supporting surface plasmons is in contact with a layer possessing magnetically induced anisotropy, is straightforward. Such a combination enables one to achieve a multifold increase in sensitivity when compared with a system having just one nonmagnetic metal layer.