title: Energy-density distribution inside large nonabsorbing spheres by using Mie theory and geometrical optics.
abstract: Mie theory and geometrical-optics ray tracing are used to obtain the distribution of electric energy density inside a nonabsorbing micrometer-sized sphere illuminated by a polarized plane wave. The Mie solution shows the multiply reflected geometrical-optics rays inside a sphere having a diameter of ~ 150 free-space wavelengths (size parameter = circumference/wavelength = 500). The geometrical-optics result shows the major features of the Mie solution and provides a physical interpretation of the electromagnetic interactions that result in the observed energy-density distributions. Both solutions show internal on-axis energy-density maxima inside the shadow surface of the sphere. The region of greatest enhanced energy density is approximately one internal wavelength in diameter and approximately twenty internal wavelengths in length.
authors: D Q
authors: DQ
authors: Chowdhury
authors: P W
authors: PW
authors: Barber
authors: S C
authors: SC
authors: Hill