Polarization tunable transmission through plasmonic arrays of elliptical nanopores

Polarization dependent transmission through thin gold films bearing arrays of elliptical nanopores and assembled at transparent substrates is explored. Far field transmission spectra with incident light polarized along the short and long axis of the ellipses show asymmetric peaks. Near-field finite difference time domain simulated electric field profiles suggest these features are related to Fano resonances between the (+/- 1, 0) Surface Plasmon Polariton mode and the (+/- 1, 0) Rayleigh Anomaly. The unique spectral signature of these samples makes them attractive for visible and near infrared tags for anti-counterfeiting applications. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America