Polarimetric detection of the photon excitation of surface plasmons

A polarimetric method for the detection of surface plasmons, excited by linearly polarised light, was proposed and tested. It was established that this method is not only more sensitive to variations in the parameters of the waveguiding structure but also makes it possible to increase by one — two orders of magnitude the precision of determination of the excitation efficiency and of the phase velocity of the plasmons, compared with the amplitude method for plasmon detection. The possibility of applying the method in sensor devices, in polarimetry, and in the microscopy of conducting surfaces is discussed.