T. W. Ebbesen is Thomas W. Ebbesen, a physical chemist whose research links optics with nanostructured materials. His institutional biography describes work in light–matter interactions at Strasbourg, and the Kavli Prize identifies his 2014 nanoscience award.[ref]
https://isis.unistra.fr/equipes/ebbesen-nanostructures/. University of Strasbourg, Thomas W. Ebbesen biography
[ref]https://www.kavliprize.org/bio/thomas-ebbesen. Kavli Prize, laureate identity and 2014 award
With collaborators, he reported unusually strong transmission through periodic arrays of holes smaller than the incident wavelength. They fabricated holes in metal films and measured transmitted spectra, including their dependence on illumination angle. The observations supported coupling between incident light and electronic excitations at the patterned surface, helping establish an experimental route into plasmonics.[ref]
Extraordinary optical transmission through sub-wavelength hole arrays by T. W. Ebbesen and others. Nature 391, 667–669, 1998: abstract and Figures 1–3
The normalization is essential to understanding the result. Transmission compared with the small total hole area can exceed the expectation for independent tiny apertures, or even exceed unity under that area normalization. This does not mean more optical energy emerges than was incident on the entire sample. The array and surrounding metal participate in collecting and coupling the electromagnetic field, so aperture area alone is an incomplete predictor.[ref]
Extraordinary optical transmission through sub-wavelength hole arrays by T. W. Ebbesen and others. Page 667: area-normalized transmission and surface-plasmon interpretation
New to topics? Read the docs here!