Anomalies in the disappearance of the extraordinary electromagnetic transmission in subwavelength hole arrays

We studied the evolution of the Extraordinary Electromagnetic Transmission (EET) through subwavelength hole arrays versus hole size. Here, we show that for large holes EET vanishes and is replaced by another unusual transmission. A specific hole size is found where all the characteristics of the EET vanish and where most usual models fail to describe the transmission except full 3D simulations. The transition between these two domains is characterized by the discontinuity of parameters describing the transmission, in particular the resonance frequency. This transition exhibits a first order phase transition like behavior. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.