title: Superenhanced backscattering of light by nanoparticles.
abstract: We report a physical explanation for the phenomenon wherein the backscattering of light by dielectric particles of sizes between 100 and 1 nm is enhanced by 7-11 orders of magnitude. The phenomenon involves complex composite interactions between a dielectric microsphere and a nanoparticle positioned in close proximity to the microsphere. We provide both analytical and perturbation analyses that show that the enhanced backscattering intensity of a nanoparticle is proportional to the third power of its size parameter. Potential applications of this phenomenon include visible-light detection, characterization, and manipulation of particles as small as a few nanometers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA. z-chen@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taflove
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Backman
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008027:Light; D008956:Models, Chemical; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D010783:Photometry / Q000379:methods*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation