Surface Plasmon Polaritons Probed with Cold Atoms

We report on an optical mirror for cold rubidium atoms based on a repulsive dipole potential created by means of a modified recordable digital versatile disc. Using the mirror, we have determined the absolute value of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) intensity, reaching 90 times the intensity of the excitation laser beam. Furthermore, we have also directly measured thermo-plasmonic effects accompanying SPPs excitation on gold submicron structures.