A fixed detector Kretschmann configuration optical system to study surface plasmon excitations

•Fixed detector Kretschmann optical system.•Surface plasmon polaritons on dielectric/gold interface.•Surface Plasmon Polariton induced quenching of photoluminescence of quantum dots.

A fixed detector Kretschmann configuration optical system is described to study surface plasmon resonance at interfaces. Not only does this system facilitate measurements of reflectivity, it also enables simultaneous pump-probe measurements of other optical properties of materials. Examples are presented from the observations of total attenuated reflectivity at high-index prism/gold interface and surface plasmon induced changes in the photoluminescence spectra of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots.