Wide-Field Microscopy Based on Leakage of Plasmon-Coupled Fluorescence

Recent developments in wide-field leakage plasmon-coupled fluorescence (WFLPCF) microscopy are presented. We present pictures of nanostructures taken with a WFLPCF microscope. We discuss the general relationship existing between the lateral pattern stamped in the sample surface and the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern formed in the Fourier plane by the plasmon-coupled fluorescence leaked to the high numerical aperture objective lens of the microscope. In addition, we demonstrate that adding a linear polarizer in the optical path of the microscope permits to identify the polarization state of the guided wave polariton modes exited in the asymmetric metal/dielectric/air slab waveguide of the samples.