We study the polarization characteristics of light emission and collection in the near field by the tips of a Dual-SNOM (two scanning near-field optical microscopes) setup. We find that cantilevered fiber probes can serve as emitters of polarized light, or as polarization-sensitive detectors. The polarization characteristics depend on the fiber type used for tip fabrication. In Dual-SNOM measurements, we demonstrate mapping of different field components of the plasmonic dipole pattern emitted by an aperture probe.
Keywords: Near-field optical microscopy; dipole; plasmonics; scanning probe microscopy; surface plasmon polariton.