The development of near-field optics theory is reviewed. We first recall that near-field optics
is not limited to near-field microscopy. Broadly speaking, it concerns phenomena involving …

Near-field optics is the study of non-propagating inhomogeneous fields and their interaction
with matter. Optical near-fields are localized to the source region of optical radiation or to the …

The near-field optical interaction between a sharp probe and a sample of interest can be
exploited to image, spectroscopically probe, or modify surfaces at a resolution (down to∼ 12 …

A subwavelength aperture is a key element in near-field optical devices and many recent
photonic structures. When the lateral dimensions of such aperture is smaller than half the …

Evanescent waves play a growing role in many different areas, such as guided optics,
optical-fiber couplers, integrated optical elements, internal reflection spectroscopy, atom …

Intrinsic features of the optical near field open a new frontier in optical science and
technology by finally overcoming the diffraction limit to reach nanometric dimensions. But …

Optical resolution beyond the diffraction limit can be achieved by use of a metallic
nanoaperture in a near-field optical system. Conventional nanoapertures have very low …

F. Pointed tips as NF optical probes 269 G. Summary of theory 272 IV. Experimental work
272 A. Types of SNO microscopes 272 B. Basic NF optical experiments 283 C. Plasmons …

High spatial resolution imaging with terahertz pulses is implemented with a novel collection-
mode near-field probe. The spatial resolution capabilities of the system are in the range of …

We report on the development of a collection mode near-field probe for the terahertz spectral
range. The near-field detector is based on an aperture type probe with dimensions of 30× 30 …