Photon-plasmon coupling: Dye guides light through perforated metal foil

Photon-plasmon coupling: Dye guides light through perforated metal foil: "The researchers propose that two complementary effects are at play. On one hand, the dye molecules in the holes generate a large index variation in the hole favoring the transmission near the absorption band. On the other, the dye molecule generates a kind of “mirror image” of its electric dipole in the metal’s free electron plasma, and the dipole and mirror-image dipole interact. If the molecule then absorbs light, it is not re-emitted; instead, the light energy is completely transferred to the metal surface, where it couples with surface plasmons helping the transmission process. This combination enables the light to pass efficiently to the other side of the metal foil."