The imaging properties of the transmission-illumination mode of a scanning near-field optical microscope are investigated. Three-dimensional calculations of the power transmitted into classically allowed and forbidden regions for a nonsymmetrically positioned amplitude object are implemented by use of the finite-difference time-domain solution of Maxwell's equations. The evolution of the images with the distance from the object as well as the effect of the polarization of the illumination is shown. The computations show that for applications involving the imaging of an amplitude object, the use of the allowed light is preferred. Collection of light from both the allowed and the forbidden zones leads to degraded contrast and resolution.

© 1998 Optical Society of America

[America ]

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Citation lists with outbound citation links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article level metrics are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

Related Journal Articles

• Numerical study of the displacement of a three-dimensional Gaussian beam transmitted at total internal reflection. Near-field applications (JOSAA)
• Observation and analysis of near-field optical diffraction (JOSAA)
• Near-field effects of focused illumination on periodic structures in scanning tunneling optical microscopy (OL)
• Quantitative amplitude and phase measurement by use of a heterodyne scanning near-field optical microscope (OL)
• Advantages of photon scanning tunneling microscope combined with atomic force microscope (COL)

Related Conference Papers

• The Meaning of Group Delay in Barrier Tunneling: A Reexamination of Superluminal Group Velocities
• Fast-Scanning Two-Photon Fluorescence Imaging Using a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Two-Dimensional Scanning Mirror
• Arbitrary Focal-Field Polarization Control for Optical Microscopy
• Plasmon-Resonant Field Enhancement Metallic Tip-Substrate Systems
• Arbitrary Focal-Field Polarization Control for Optical Microscopy