Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025

Electrochemical Etching and Characterization of Sharp Field Emission Points for Electron Impact Ionization
Published on: July 12, 2016
Surface contribution to the electric dipole moment near an interface, and its effect on power emission
Abstract:
When a small particle is located near an interface, its electric dipole moment can be induced by laser irradiation. Since the laser light reflects at the interface, this leads to an interference pattern, and the dipole moment is determined by this total field. In addition, the dipole radiation emitted by the particle reflects at the interface, and this field adds to the external field. In this fashion, the dipole moment is altered by the field it emits, and as such the emitted radiation modifies its own source. We have derived a simple expression to take this back action into account. We introduce two resolvent functions, Υ‖(h) and Υ⊥(h), which depend on the dimensionless distance h between the particle and the interface. These functions exhibit resonance features due to the underlying back-action mechanism. It is shown that two, one, or no resonance peaks appear in the induced dipole moment. Whether these peaks are present depends on the parameters under consideration. The power emitted by the particle depends on h due to interference between the source radiation and the reflected radiation. With the surface induced contribution to the dipole moment included, an additional h dependence appears. This dependence shows the resonance peaks, which may be amenable to experimental observation.
Related Concept Videos
Potential Due to a Polarized Object
Induced Electric Dipoles
Since the absolute value of potential energy holds no physical meaning, its zero value can be chosen as per...
Electric Dipoles and Dipole Moment
Theoretically, studying electric dipoles leads to understanding why the resultant electric forces around us are weak. Since electric forces are strong, remnant net charges are rare. Hence, the interaction between dipoles helps us understand electrical interactions in...
Calculations of Electric Potential II
Consider a...
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity....
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions
The surface integral of an electric field is given by Gauss's law in integral form and is related to...

