Efficient transfer of light energy to a nanoparticle by means of a resonance atomic lens

A cascade transfer of light energy to a resonance atom situated near a spherical nanoparticle and then, by a nonradiative mechanism, to the nanoparticle itself is considered. It is established that the efficiency of the cascade transfer essentially depends on the frequency and polarization of light, on the distance between the atom and the particle, on the optical properties of the particle, and on the time conditions of radiation. The rate of light absorption by a metal nanoparticle via cascade energy transfer may be 10⁴–10⁵ times higher than the direct absorption of light by a nanoparticle. For a fixed frequency of light, the cascade transfer of energy is a sharply selective function of the distance between the atom and the particle (the resonance width is about 10^?2 of the particle radius). Atomic fluorescence exhibits similar behavior. This feature can form the basis for a new method of optical scanning microscopy and location and localization of atoms near the surface of a particle.