Abstract

Based on the dispersive feature of the dielectric function of noble metals and the wave vector conservation in physics, both the plasma effect and the complex refractive index, which are profoundly correlated to the complex dielectric function and permeability, have been studied and analyzed. The condition to induce a bulk or a surface plasma in the visible region will not be satisfied, and there will be one solution for the real and the imaginary parts of the refractive index, restricting it only to region I of the complex plane. The results given in this work will aid in understanding the properties of light transmission at the metal/dielectric interface as characterized by the law of refraction in nature.

© 2013 Optical Society of Korea

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