| Abstract: | A self-consistent problem of interaction of two dipole atoms separated by an unrestricted distance with the field of a quasi-resonance light wave was solved on the assumption that the investigated atoms are Lorentz linear oscillators and the polarizing fields inside the system consist of the Coulomb and the retarded parts. The solution obtained was investigated for the case where the atoms have the same polarizability and the distance between them is much smaller than the length of the external light wave. Formulas for the electric fields inside a small object and outside it have been obtained. It is shown that inside a small two-atom object there can take place longitudinal and transverse optical vibrations accompanied by corresponding dispersion effects depending on the interatomic distance and the angle between the axis of the system and the direction of propagation of the external light wave. The field outside the small object in the wave zone is linearly polarized when the external wave has linear polarization. However, the direction of polarization of the corresponding waves is largely determined by their frequency. It is also shown that the amplitude of the field outside the small object in the wave zone depends greatly on the frequency of the external field and the interatomic distance. The effects observed are considered as a near-field effect in optics of small objects. This phenomena makes it possible to investigate the structure of small objects with the use of optical radiation. Ul'yanovsk Branch of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 48 Goncharov Str., Ul'yanovsk, 432700, Russia; e-mail: gadomsky@quant.univ.simbirsk.su. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 6, pp. 765–770, November–December, 1999. |
