Abstract

We consider metallic or dielectric particles with dimension of the order of the wavelength of the incident field or smaller so that that Maxwell’s macroscopic equations apply. The basis of classical Fano resonances [1], single molecule spectroscopy [2] and many other effects is the strong variation of the interaction with electromagnetic energy as a function of wavelength. Mie theory provides an analytical description of such resonances for spheres; here we show that this is a special case of a general geometrical explanation for resonances in Maxwell’s equations, which apply to all smooth isotropic particles.

© 2011 IEEE