%0 Journal Article %A Maksimenko, A.V. %A Zaginaylov, G.I. %D 2014 %I Begell House %K attenuated total reflection, surface waves, plasmons, thin films, spectroscopy %N 16 %P 1443-1455 %R 10.1615/TelecomRadEng.v73.i16.40 %T ON INTERPRETATION OF SURFACE WAVE EXCITATION BY PRISM METHOD IN SLABS OF PLASMA-LIKE MEDIA %U https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/0632a9d54950b268,50ecbf056e787661,01d138912852071f.html %V 73 %X Frustrated total reflectance (FTR) effect is widely used to investigate properties of dielectric and metal films, as well as to study of dispersion properties of the surface waves (SW). However, FTR theory is usually based on the idealized models that may lead to not quite correct interpretation of resonance effects occurring in practice. In this work, well-known features of FTR in the Kretschmann configuration are interpreted on the basis of leaky (improper or nonspectral) SW. It is shown that the minimum of the reflection coefficient corresponds to the resonance with leaky SW, and is shifted with respect to the resonance with the ordinary spectral SW (eigenwave). The approximate analytical estimation of this shift is described. Null FTR in the case of irradiated sample lossless is associated with idealization of task geometry, which can lead to the impossibility eigenwave excitation. We also propose a physical interpretation of the conditions under which the reflection coefficient vanishes. The results may be useful for the dispersion properties study of plasma waves, the developing precise measurement techniques of the reflection coefficients, and characterization of dielectric and metal films. %8 2014-12-05