Near-field and far-field optical properties of thin metallic films

Reflectivity measurements in an attenuated total internal reflection (ATIR) geometry and the variation of the transmitted intensity associated to the total electric field in a frustrated ATIR configuration using a photon scan ning tunneling microscope (PSTM) of multilayered metallic films are present ed as a function of the angle of incidence. Eigenmodes for total reflection and absorption associated with the optical properties of magnetic and nonm agnetic materials are theoretically and experimentally determined from the reflected and the transmitted spectra. Good agreement between theory and ex periment demonstrates that PSTM is a powerful technique to characterize acc urately and locally drastic variations of the intensity around optical mode s of a multilayer system. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.