Terahertz-to-infrared emission through laser excitation of surface plasmons in metal films with porous nanostructures.

We report on the investigation of terahertz-to-infrared (THz-to-IR) thermal emission that relies on the excitation of surface plasmons in metal films deposited on a substrate with randomly ordered nanoscale pore arrays. The THz-to-IR radiation was observed both in the direction of laser beam propagation and the reverse direction. The intensity ratio between backward and forward radiation is exponentially dependent on the nominal thickness of the porous metal films. The findings are discussed in view of the proposed generation mechanism based on propagating surface plasmon polaritons on both air/metal and metal/substrate interfaces.