Recents works deal with the optical transmission on arrays of subwavelength holes in a metallic layer deposited on a dielectric substrate. Making the system as realistic as possible, we perform simulations to enlighten the experimental data. This paper proposes an investigation of the optical properties related to the transmission of such devices. Numerical simulations give theoretical results in good agreement with experiment and we observe that the transmission and reflection behaviour correspond to Fano's profile correlated with resonant response of the eigen modes coupled with nonhomogeneous diffraction orders. We thus conclude that the transmission properties observed could conceivably be explained as resulting from resonant Wood's anomalies.

The optical binding force between two dipolar particles is formulated explicitly. First, we perform the calculus in the most general case. Second, we look at the particular case in which the incident field is a plane wave with wavevector perpendicular to the dipole orientation.

The new concept of superresolution microscopy involving nonradiative field detection by optical tunneling is analyzed in light of the Heisenberg principle and the Rayleigh criterion. A connection is demonstrated between the evanescent field components and the system's resolving power. This work is quite general and can be applied to scanning electronic tunneling microscopy.

Two configurations of a scanning near field optical microscope working in reflection are presented. Results exhibiting nanometric resolution are given and discussed.