Modulation in statistical properties of electromagnetic beam using surface plasmon polaritons.

We investigate the change in statistical properties of an electromagnetic beam enhanced with surface plasmon polaritons. We derive mathematical expressions revealing the effect of surface plasmons on the degree of polarization, Stokes parameters, generalized Stokes parameters, electromagnetic degree of coherence, and degree of cross-polarization in a double-slit experiment. The presence of surface plasmons results in modulation of coherence and polarization properties of electromagnetic beams, whose amplitude and period can be optimized through the design of subwavelength structures. The behavior of these properties is further investigated for the case when the field is incident at only one slit, incorporating changes in the output beam with enhancement in the strength of surface plasmons. The findings pave the way for the creation of novel optical systems that allow the subwavelength-sized array of holes to modify the coherence and polarization attributes of the electromagnetic beams.