Bambino et al. Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 / J. Opt. Soc. Am.

A 489

Application of semiclassical and geometrical

optics theories to
resonant modes of a coated sphere

Túlio M. Bambino, Ana Maria S. Breitschaft, Valmar C. Barbosa, and Luiz G. Guimarães
Departamento de Fı́sica Nuclear, Instituto de Fı́sica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CP 68528,
21945-970 Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brazil

Received July 5, 2002; revised manuscript received October 22, 2002; accepted October 25, 2002
This work deals with some aspects of the resonant scattering of electromagnetic waves by a metallic sphere
covered by a dielectric layer, in the weak-absorption approximation. We carry out a geometrical optics treat-
ment of the scattering and develop semiclassical formulas to determine the positions and widths of the system
resonances. In addition, we show that the mean lifetime of broad resonances is strongly dependent on the
polarization of the incident light. © 2003 Optical Society of America
OCIS codes: 290.4020, 260.5740, 290.5850.

1. INTRODUCTION numerically to find the positions and widths of the system

The objective of the present paper is the study of the reso-
nances that occur in electromagnetic-wave scattering by a
system composed of an ideal metallic sphere coated by a
dielectric material.1–4 Although the partial-wave theory
of this problem has been well known since the early
1950’s,5,6 we think that this theory is a narrow physical
way of interpreting important features in scattering cross
sections such as diffraction, rainbows, glories, resonances,
and other caustic phenomena.7–10 As in the case of a
simple dielectric sphere, it is expected that compound
spheres when exposed to electromagnetic radiation show
shape resonances, also known as whispering-gallery
modes or morphology-dependent resonances.11–13 Those
resonances occur when there is a match between the wave
number of the incident radiation and the size of the
system.14 When those resonances occur, the
electromagnetic-energy density near the surface experi-
ences a huge increase in value.10 As a direct conse-
quence, a micrometer-sized particle is used in optical ex-
periments to study many nonlinear and quantum
effects,15,16 such as Raman and Brillouin stimulated ef-
fects and lasing in microdroplets.17,18 The systematic
study of those resonances requires a better physical com-
prehension of the problem, even more so when resonant
effects of compound spheres are involved. It appears
that so far, few authors have explored this approach. Re-
cently Lock et al.19 and Roll et al.20 showed that a reso-
nant mode in a simple sphere could be associated with an
optical path that describes a polygonal trajectory inside
this cavity. With this concept and the optomechanical
analogy, it is possible to establish a consistent study and a
mapping of those resonances.
This paper is organized as follows. In Section 2 we re-
view the results obtained with partial-wave theory. In
this formal scattering theory, the relations used to deter-
mine the S-matrix elements are written in a form that is
suitable for obtaining the equations that must be solved
resonances. Sections 3 and 4 present explicit formulas
for resonances and give physical interpretations of these
results in the semiclassical framework by means of a ray-
tracing theory. The absorption effects in these resonant
modes are also taken into consideration. To this end, we
develop relations to estimate both the positions and the
widths of these resonances. We present the numerical
results in Section 5. Finally, we summarize our main re-
sults in Section 6.
2. PARTIAL-WAVE ANALYSIS FOR
RESONANT SCATTERING
In the present paper, we assume that a perfectly metallic
sphere with radius a coated by a dielectric spherical layer
with radius b scatters a plane wave E ⫽ E0 exp(ik – r
⫺ ␻ t). This concentric layer is nonmagnetic and has an
index of refraction Ñ ⫽ N ⫹ im, where for weak absorp-
tion we assume that N ⬎ 1 Ⰷ m ⬎ 0. The absorption ef-
fects will be studied in more detail at the end of Section 4.
In Mie theory, resonances are related to the ripple
structure in the cross sections.8 For instance, with the
optical theorem the total cross section in units of ␲ b 2 ,
known as the efficiency factor for extinction Q ext , is writ-
ten as
⬁
Q ext ⫽ 兺 共Q
l⫽1
共1兲
ext,l
2兲
⫹ Q 共ext,l 兲, (1)
(1) (2)
where Q ext,l and Q ext,l stand for the partial-wave contri-
butions coming from the electric-wave polarization ( j
⫽ 1 transverse magnetic wave, TM) and the magnetic-
wave polarization ( j ⫽ 2 transverse electric wave, TE),
respectively, and are given by

1084-7529/2003/030489-10$15.00 © 2003 Optical Society of America

490 J. Opt. Soc. Am. A / Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 Bambino et al.

j兲 j兲
j兲
2 S 共pot,l ⬇ 共 1 ⫺ mM l2 共 ␤ 兲兲 exp关 2i ␦ 共pot,l 兴 ⫹ O 共 m 2 兲 , (10)
Q 共ext,l ⫽ 共 2l ⫹ 1 兲 Re共 a 共l j 兲 兲 , j ⫽ 1, 2. (2)
␤ 2
where the function M l and the phase shift ␦ pot,l( j)
must be
In Eq. (2) we define the size parameter ␤ ⫽ kb (k real and can be obtained from the explicit formula of Eq.
⬅ 储 k储 ) and the quantity a l( j ) as the partial-wave scatter- (5). Here we are interested in those values of ␤ at which
ing amplitude,5,6 which may be written in terms of the the efficiency factor for extinction, Q ext , presents reso-
nant peaks. As stated in Ref. 22, when ␤ approaches one
S-matrix element (S l( j ) ) as
of these resonant values ␤ r , the phase shift ␦ pot,l ( j)
in-
a 共l j 兲 ⫽ 1
2 共1 ⫺ S 共l j 兲 兲 . (3) creases rapidly through an odd multiple of ␲/2. For ␤
( j)
values around a narrow resonance, the S pot,l -matrix ele-
Following Joachain,21 for each wave polarization j the
ment [see approximation (10)] behaves as a Breit–Wigner
S-matrix element can be written as
formula and may be approximated by
S 共l j 兲 ⫽ S hs,l S 共pot,l
j兲
, (4) i⌫ BW
j兲
S 共pot,l 共␤兲 ⬇ 1 ⫺ ⫹ O共 m 兲, (11)
where S hs,l stands for the contribution due to the scatter- 共 ␤ ⫺ ␤ r 兲 ⫹ i⌫ BW/2
ing from the present system as if it were a hard sphere
( j)
and S pot,l carries information on the particular shape and where ␤ r is the solution of the following transcendental
strength of the potential. These two quantities may be equation:
written as a Debye series expansion,19 namely, j兲
cos共 2 ␦ 共pot,l 兲 兩 ␤ ⫽␤ r ⬇ ⫺1 ⫹ O 共 m 2 兲 . (12)
␨ 共l 2 兲 共 ␤ 兲 The Breit–Wigner fitting estimation for the resonance
S hs,l ⫽ ⫺ 共 1 兲 , width is given by
␨l 共␤兲

j兲
S 共pot,l 冋 j兲
⫽ ⫺ R 共22,l j兲 共 j兲 共 j兲
⫹ T 共21,l r 11,l T 12,l
␨ 共l 1 兲 共 ␣ 兲 / ␨ 共l 2 兲 共 ␣ 兲
1⫺ ␳ 共l j 兲
册 , (5)
⌫ BW
2
⬇ 冋冏 冏 冋
⳵␤
j兲
⳵ ␦ 共pot,l ⫺1

1⫹m
M l2 共 ␤ 兲
4
册册 ␤ ⫽␤ r
⫹ O共 m2兲.

(13)
where the Fresnel coefficients are given by
Thus around these narrow resonances the quantity
j兲 j兲
R 共22,l ⫽ T 共21,l ⫺ 1, Re关al( j)兴 in Eq. (2) has a Breit–Wigner shape contribution
with peak at ␤ r and FWHM equal to ⌫ l( j ) . For more de-
ln⬘ ␨ 共l 1 兲 共 ␤ 兲 ⫺ ln⬘ ␨ 共l 2 兲 共 ␤ 兲 tails about the partial-wave analysis in the study of the
j兲
T 共21,l ⫽ , (6) absorption effects in resonant Mie scattering, we refer the
ln⬘ ␨ 共l 1 兲 共 ␤ 兲 ⫺ N ⑀ j ln⬘ ␨ 共l 2 兲 共 ␣ 兲
reader to the work of Vidden et al.23 Moreover, in the
j兲
R 共11,l j兲
⫽ T 共12,l ⫺ 1, case of a transparent medium (m ⫽ 0), we can rewrite
approximation (13) in the following form:
ln⬘ ␨ 共l 1 兲 共 ␣ 兲 ⫺ ln⬘ ␨ 共l 2 兲 共 ␣ 兲
j兲
T 共12,l ⫽ N⑀j
ln⬘ ␨ 共l 1 兲 共 ␤ 兲 ⫺ N ⑀ j ln⬘ ␨ 共l 2 兲 共 ␣ 兲
, (7) 4
⌫ BW
⬇ ⫺i
⳵␤
j兲
⳵ ln关 S 共pot,l 兴
冏 ␤ ⫽␤ r
. (14)

␨ 共l 2 兲 ⬘ 共 ␥ 兲 ␨ 共l 2 兲 共 ␥ 兲
j兲
r 共11,l ⫽ ⫺ 共1兲 ␦ j1 ⫺ 共 1 兲 ␦ j2 , In the context of the formal scattering theory, approxi-
␨ l ⬘共 ␥ 兲 ␨l 共␥兲 mation (14) is completely analogous to Wigner’s formula
for time delay in the formal theory of the lifetime related
␨ 共l 1 兲 共 ␣ 兲 to the metastable state on quantum interacting
␳ 共l j 兲 ⫽ r 共11,l
j兲 j兲
R 共11,l , (8)
␨ 共l 2 兲 共 ␣ 兲 systems.24,25 In general, in a quantum mechanics (QM)
framework, approximation (14) is related to the case of
⑀ j ⫽ ␦ j1 /Ñ 2 ⫹ ␦ j2 . (9) the transmission resonance (located above the top of the
potential barrier). Moreover, for sharp resonances, ap-
In Eqs. (5)–(9) ␦ jk is the Kronecker delta, ␣ ⫽ Ñ ␤ , and proximation (14) is appropriate for analyzing time scales
␥ ⫽ ␣ / ␳ are the size parameters with ␳ ⫽ b/a. In addi- related to the tunneling time or the traversal time, which
tion, ␨ l( 1 ) and ␨ l( 2 ) are the Riccati–Hankel functions, ␨ l( 1 ) ⬘ corresponds to the time spent by a wave packet to
and ␨ l( 2 ) ⬘ are their derivatives with respect to the argu- traverse the barrier. However, at the present moment
ment, and ln⬘ f denotes the logarithmic derivative of f. none of these time scales has a satisfactory definition, and
( j) ( j)
The Fresnel coefficients T vv 0 ,l and R vv,l are closely related thus, the matter is still very controversal.26 From here
to the transmission coefficient from the region v to the re- on we try to show how some QM concepts can help us to
gion v ⬘ and to the associated reflection coefficient, respec- understand the electromagnetic resonance phenomenon.
tively, where v ⫽ 1, 2 is related to dielectric layer and the
external medium (the vacuum), respectively. The other
( j)
coefficient r 11,l is connected to the reflection coefficient in 3. SEMICLASSICAL AND RAY OPTICS
the external surface of the ideal metallic sphere. THEORIES FOR THE RESONANT MODES
In the case of a transparent medium, energy conserva- Roll et al.20 and Lock et al.19 showed that resonant modes
tion implies that 兩 S l( j ) 兩 ⫽ 兩 S hs,l 兩 ⫽ 兩 S pot,l
( j)
兩 ⫽ 1. However, of spherical and coated spherical cavities, respectively,
for a weak-absorption medium, where 兩 S l( j ) 兩 ⬍ 1, it is pos- could be related to a light ray that undergoes a polygonal
sible to rewrite Eq. (5) in the following manner: trajectory inside these cavities. Using this relation we
Bambino et al. Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 / J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 491

try to reinterpret in this section some semiclassical fea-

tures of these resonant modes on the ray-tracing and QM-
like theories for resonances. To this end, note that the
Debye series [Eq. (5)] and approximation (11) suggest that
narrow resonances are related to poles of the S matrix.
These poles are the complex zeros ␤ ⫺ i⌫/2 of the tran-
scendental equation

␳ 共l j 兲 共 ␤ 兲 ⫽ 1. (15)
In general, to calculate and give a clear physical interpre-
tation of these poles is not a trivial task. Roughly speak-
ing, it is reasonable to think that if the resonant modes
are confined to the interior of the dielectric layer, the reso-
nance condition [Eq. (15)] should be related to the en-
hancement of the internal dielectric–vacuum-interface re-
flectivity [see Eqs. (7) and (8)]. To clarify the physical
meaning of this assumption, we start our analysis by us-
ing the analogy between the present electromagnetic
problem and Schrödinger wave theory. The Helmholtz
equation is separable in the spherical coordinate system.
Thus any radial Hertz–Debye scalar potential F satisfies
the following Schrödinger-like equation:
d2 F
⫺ 2 ⫹ U eff共 r 兲 F ⫽ k 2 F, (16)
dr
where we adopt the Langer modification ␭ ⬅ l ⫹ 1/2, and
we define the effective potential U eff as
␭2
U eff共 r 兲 ⫽ ⫺ k 2 共 N 2 ⫺ m 2 ⫺ 1 兲 ⫺ 2ik 2 mN. (17)
r2
In the realm of QM, wave equation (16) resembles the
time-independent Schrödinger equation (in units such
that ប ⫽ 2m ⫽ 1) for an incident particle with positive
energy k 2 and angular momentum eigenvalue ␭ subjected Fig. 1. Behavior of the U eff potential as a function of radial dis-
to a central short-range potential U eff . The scattering tance r for a given impact parameter p ⬅ ␭/k and two distinct
properties are strongly determined by the interacting po- sizes of metallic core. Resonances located below or above the
tentials’ features. For instance, we can interpret U eff as barrier top are such that b ⬍ (␭/k below) ⬍ Nb or a ⬍ (␭/k above)
a combination of an attractive square well of depth ⌬U ⬍ b, respectively. (a) Mie-like modes are excited if a ⬍ b/N; (b)
⫽ k 2 (N 2 ⫺ m 2 ⫺ 1) plus a repulsive centrifugal barrier for a thinner dielectric layer with a ⬎ b/N, the Fabry–Perot-like
modes can propagate. In the limit of weak absorption N ⬎ 1
␭ 2 /r 2 resulting in a cuspidlike potential well surrounded
Ⰷ m, the barrier height behaves as ⌬U ⫽ k 2 (N 2 ⫺ 1 ⫺ m 2 ).
by two classically forbidden regions. The imaginary part In addition, all narrow resonances located below the top of the
of U eff is proportional to m and takes the role of a barrier are excited by tunneling.
dissipation-channel term. Notice that in the case of
weak absorption, where the time-independent perturba-
tion theory can be applied, it is expected that absorption core play an important role as the Fabry–Perot-like
effects on the real and the imaginary parts of the energy modes. These modes occur only if b/N ⬍ a [see Fig.
spectrum are of the order O(m 2 ) and O(m), respectively. 1(b)]. In a different way, if b/N ⬎ a, the Mie-like modes
We will return to this subject at the end of Section 4. On can be excited [see Fig. 1(a)]. In order to apply semiclas-
the other hand, notice that depending on the energy k 2 of sical methods we need first to write all Bessel functions in
the incident particle, U eff presents 1 or 3 classical turning transcendental equation (15) in the limit of the first-order
points (see the circles in Fig. 1). Excitation of the broad WKB approximation.27 In this limit Eq. (15) can be re-
or the sharp resonances is related to the problem of scat- written as
tering by a potential with 1 or 3 classical turning points,
respectively. In other words, a sharp resonance occurs
2
when the incident energy k below is below the top of the
centrifugal barrier, and a broad resonance is related to ⌶共 ␤, ␭ 兲
2
the incident energy k above above the top of the barrier. In tan关 ⌽ j 共 ␤ , ␭, ␳ 兲兴 ⬇ , (18)
addition, geometrical optics predicts that the caustics re- ⑀ j 冑␣ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2
gions are delimited between the outermost Nb and the in-
nermost b/N aplanatic spheres’ radii, respectively. Here
we label the modes where the reflections on the metallic where we define the functions ⌽ j and ⌶ respectively as
492 J. Opt. Soc. Am. A / Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 Bambino et al.

⌽ j 共 ␤ , ␭, ␳ 兲 ⬅ ␾ 共 ␣ , ␭ 兲 ⫺
␲
4
⌫ p共 ␤ 兲 ⬇ 冉 冊冋
⳵⌽j
⳵␤
⫺1
H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲 sin 2⌽ j exp共 ⫺2⌿ 兲

冋
⫺ H共 ␥ ⫺ ␭ 兲 ␾共 ␥, ␭ 兲 ⫺ 冉
␲ 1
2 2
⫺ ␦ j,2 冊册 ⫺ H 共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲 ln 冏 1 ⫹ ⌸j
1 ⫺ ⌸j
冏册 , (24)

(19) where ⌸ j ⬅ ⑀ j⫺1 关 兩 ( ␤ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 )/( ␣ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 ) 兩 兴 1/2. In the

present WKB approximation, the phase shift ␦ pot,l ( j)
be-
and haves as ␦ pot,l
( j)
⬇ (n ⫹ 1/2) ␲ ⫺ ⌬ j , where we define the
function ⌬ j as
⌶ 共 ␤ , ␭ 兲 ⬅ H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲 冑␭ 2 ⫺ ␤ 2 兵 1 ⫺ i exp关 ⫺2⌿ 共 ␤ , ␭ 兲兴 其

⫺ iH 共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲 冑␤ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 . (20) ⌬ j 共 ␤ , ␭, ␳ 兲 ⬅ 2 exp共 2⌿ 兲 H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲 冋 ⌸ j ⫺ tan ⌽ j

⌸ j ⫹ tan ⌽ j
册
In Eqs. (19) and (20), H(x) is the Heaviside step function. tan ⌽ j
The constraints H(␭ ⫺ ␤ ) and H( ␤ ⫺ ␭) are related to ⫺ H共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲 . (25)
⌸j
resonances located below (narrow resonance, NR) and
above (broad resonance, BR) the barrier top, respectively. In addition, the Breit–Wigner fitting estimation [see ap-
Moreover, the factor H( ␥ ⫺ ␭) separates the contribu- proximation (13)] for resonance width can be written as

冏 冏
tions that are due to the Fabry–Perot-like modes from j兲 ⫺1
those related to the Mie-like modes (see Fig. 1). In Eqs. ⌫ BW共 ␤ 兲 ⳵ ␦ 共pot,l ⌫ p共 ␤ 兲
⬇ ⬇ H共 ␭
(19) and (20), the functions ␾ and ⌿ are analogous to the 2 ⳵␤ 2

冋 冉 冊 册
Bohr–Sommerfeld phase and the Gamow tunneling fac- ⫺1 ⫺1
tor, namely, ⳵⌽j sin共 2⌽ j 兲 ␭ 2 共 1 ⫹ N 2 兲
⫺ ␤兲 1 ⫺
⳵␤ 2 共 ␭ 2 ⫺ ␤ 2 兲共 ␣ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 兲
␾ 共 kÑr, ␭ 兲 ⫽ 冕 r

␭/kN
冑k 2 ⫺ U eff共 r ⬘ 兲 dr ⬘
冉 冊
⫹ H共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲⌸j
⳵⌽j ⫺1
. (26)
⳵␤

⫽ 冑共 kÑr 兲 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 ⫺ ␭ arccos 冉 冊
kÑr
␭
, (21) Near a resonance ⌬ j → 0, then, it follows from Eq. (25)
that

冕 ␭/k 关 H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲共 tan ⌽ j ⫺ ⌸ j 兲 ⫹ H 共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲 tan ⌽ j 兴 → 0,

⌿共 ␤, ␭ 兲 ⫽ 冑U eff共 r 兲 ⫺ k 2 dr which is in complete accordance with results obtained
b
from the resonance-position transcendental equation [ap-
⫽ ␭ ln关共 ␭ ⫹ 冑␭ 2 ⫺ ␤ 2 兲 / ␤ 兴 ⫺ 冑␭ 2 ⫺ ␤ 2 . proximation (23)]. In other words, in this approximation
we can assume that ␤ p ⫽ ␤ r , since in this framework the
(22)
Breit–Wigner analysis and the S-matrix-pole calculation
are highly similar methods for estimating the resonance
On the basis of these semiclassical results we begin to
position. However, the approximation does not hold for
study in more detail some features of these resonant
estimations of the resonance width. Comparing approxi-
modes.
mations (24) and (26), we note that the two methods are
similar only in the limiting cases of extremely narrow
resonances where N ␤ r → ␭ ⫹ 0 ⫹ with sin ⌽j → 0 and in
4. WAVE INTERFERENCE, TUNNELING, the situation of the ‘‘soft’’ broad resonances related to
AND RESONANCES grazing rays ␤ r → ␭ ⫹ 0 ⫹, which implies that ⌸ j → 0 ⫹.
For pedagogical reasons, it is suitable first to analyze the In approximation (24) we can approximate ln关(1 ⫹ ⌸j)/(1
resonance features of a transparent medium and then the ⫺ ⌸j)兴 ⬇ 2⌸j . This suggests that the Breit–Wigner fit-
absorption effects in resonant modes. To this end, we as- ting method is not accurate for broader resonances.
sume m ⫽ 0 in Eq. (17). In this framework, the solu- On the other hand, applying the first-order WKB
tions of approximation (18) are complex numbers ␤ approximation27 in the Fresnel coefficients [Eqs. (6)–(8)],
→ ␤ p ⫺ i⌫ p /2, where ␤ p and ⌫ p ( ␤ p ), the real and imagi- we can rewrite approximation (24) in the following man-
nary parts of these poles, are the estimations of the reso- ner:

冉 冊
nance position and width, respectively. In general, for ⫺1
⳵⌽j
long-lived resonance we hope that ⌫ p Ⰶ ␤ p . In this ⌫ p 共 ␤ , ␭, ␳ 兲 ⬇ 关 H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲 T 共12j 兲 /2
limit, the complex transcendental equation [approxima- ⳵␤
tion (18)] can be uncoupled in the following real formulas: j兲
⫺ H 共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲 ln共 兩 R 共11,l 兩 兲兴 . (27)
⌽ j 共 ␤ p , ␭, ␳ 兲 ⬇ 共 n ⫹ 1/2兲 ␲ ⫹ H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ p 兲 For the NR case (␭ ⬎ ␤ ), the transmission coefficient be-
( j) ( j) 2
haves as T 12 ⫽ 1 ⫺ 兩 R 11,l 兩 ⬇ 2 sin 2⌽j exp(⫺2⌿), which
⫻ 关 arctan ⌸ j ⫺ ␲ /2兴 ; n ⫽ 0, 1,...,
suggests that the transmissivity of the dielectric–vacuum
(23) interface is dominated by tunneling. In addition, it is in-
Bambino et al. Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 / J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 493

teresting to note that if we define the critical total inter-

nal reflection angle (TIR) as ␪ c ⫽ arcsin 1/N, the trans-
mission angle ␪ t satisfies sin ␪t ⫽ ␭/␤ sin ␪c with ␪ t ⬎ ␪ c .
These modes trapped into the spherical dielectric layer by
TIR are related to evanescent waves that escape from the
interior of the spherical layer by the tunnel effect. On
the other hand, in the BR case as ␭ ⬍ ␤ , the polarization
effects may play an important role in the behavior of the
resonance width. Note that in this situation the WKB
( j)
approximation to R 11,l behaves as

⑀ j 冑␣ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 ⫺ 冑␤ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2
j兲
R 共11,l ⬇ ; (28)
⑀ j 冑␣ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 ⫹ 冑␤ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2
thus for TM polarization ( j ⫽ 1) it follows from approxi-
mation (28) that no internal reflection will occur if the
light is incident at Brewster’s angle ␪ i ⫽ ␪ B ⫽ arctan N.
( j)
The reason is that the reflection coefficient R 11,l has a
zero at ␭/ ␤ ⫽ sin ␪i ⫽ N/冑1 ⫹ N , indicating that these
2

modes have a shorter lifetime and are not efficiently

trapped into the interior of the spherical layer. Apart
from this particular situation where ␪ i ⫽ ␪ B , we can as-
sume that T 12 ( j)
⬍ 1, and employing the approximation
( j) ⬁ ( j) p
that ln关兩R11,l 兩 兴 ⫽ ⫺⌺ p⫽1 (T 12 ) /p, we can rewrite approxi-
mation (27) in the following form:

⌫ p 共 ␤ , ␭, ␳ 兲 ⬇
sec ␪ t
N
再 H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲 T 共12j 兲 /2

冎
⬁
关 T 共12j 兲 兴 p Fig. 2. Polygon trajectories of the rays in the interior of the di-
⫹ H共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲 兺
p⫽1 p
. (29) electric spherical layer for a given impact parameter p. (a) In the
Mie-like mode case, there are no reflections in the metallic
sphere, and the trajectories are regular polygons whose size is
We write the derivative ⳵ ⌽ j / ⳵ ␤ ⫽ N cos ␪t , and we can the chord length AB. (b) In the Fabry–Perot-like case, the re-
interpret the loss mechanism related to width formula flections in the metallic sphere are important, and the allowed
(29) as basically being due to the transmissivity of the in- trajectories are covered with star polygons where the optical
terface between the dielectric layer and the vacuum. The path connecting points A and B is V AB .
NR modes are governed by tunneling, whereas in the BR
case they are related to the fact that for the pth internal kNAB ⫺ ␲ /2 ⫽ 2n ␲ ⫹ ␭⍀, n ⫽ 0, 1, 2,..., (32)
( j) p
reflection the fraction (T 12 ) of the initial internal field
escapes to the exterior. From here on, we will analyze where the chord length AB and the angle ⍀ can be writ-
some geometrical aspects of the resonances related to the ten respectively as
spherical geometry. First, for simplicity, we study the
resonant Mie-like modes where the size parameters sat- AB ⫽ 2b cos ␪ t (33)
isfy the inequality ␥ ⬍ ␭ and the reflections on the metal-
lic spherical core are not taken into account. In Fig. 2 we
assume that in the dielectric spherical layer a light ray
travels from point A to point B. In the scalar theory, we
⍀⫽2 冉 ␲
2
冊
⫺ ␪t . (34)

can represent such a light ray as the following function: Since ␪ t ⫽ arcsin ␭/␣, and using Eqs. (33) and (34), we can
rewrite the resonance criterion [Eq. (32)] in the following
␺ AB ⬃ exp关 i 共 knAB ⫺ ␲ /2兲兴 , (30) manner:
where the ␲/2 phase jump occurs because the light ray
reaches the caustic r c ⫽ b/N (the innermost aplanatic
sphere) one time. In addition, following Van de Hulst,28
冉 n⫹
1
4
冊 ␲⫽ 冑␣ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 ⫺ ␭ arccos
␭
␣
. (35)

a ‘‘creeping wave’’ that travels from point A to point B

along the inner spherical surface r ⫽ b can be described
by the following wave function:
⌶ A& B ⬃ exp共 i␭⍀ 兲 .
Assuming a constructive interference of these two waves
at point B, the resonance criterion is such that
Comparing Eq. (19) with Eq. (35), we see that the latter is
completely equivalent to the Bohr–Sommerfeld quantiza-
tion rule [see Eq. (21)] for a scalar wave theory, in which
(31) we do not take into account the polarization effects. In
another situation, the Fabry–Perot-like-modes case (␭
⬍ ␥ ), where reflections on the metallic sphere are
present, the trajectory of the particle is star-polygonlike
494 J. Opt. Soc. Am. A / Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 Bambino et al.

(see Fig. 2), and we interpret the resonance phenomenon

by observing that in this case ⌶ A& B , the creeping wave
component, satisfies the same Eq. (31), but the angle ⍀
␶ ⭓ N 2 sin ⍀ 冉 冊 ␲b
c
关 2H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲 /T 共12j 兲

and the ray component ␺ AB are now given respectively by j兲

⫺ H 共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲 /ln共 兩 R 共11,l 兩 兲兴 . (41)
V

冋
⍀ ⫽ 2 arccos
b
a
sin2 ␪ t ⫹ cos ␪ t 1 ⫺ 冉 b
a2
2
sin2 ␪ t 冊册
1/2
This formula suggests that ␶ is an increasing function of
( j)
the internal reflectivity R 11,l . We are now able to intro-

冋 冉冊 冉 冊册
duce the absorption’s effects. To this end, we solved tran-
␭ ␭
⫽ 2 arccos ⫺arccos , (36) scendental approximation (18) in the complex ␤ plane, as-
␣ ␥ suming the weak-absorption limit (Ñ ⫽ N ⫹ im with m

冉 冊
Ⰶ N). This procedure gave us the following semiclassi-
AB
cal equations for the resonance position and width, re-
␺ AB ⬃ exp ikN V . (37)
V spectively:
Note that in this case the caustic r c ⫽ b/N is virtual (r c
⬍ a); then the phase of relation (37) does not have a ␲/2 关 ⌽ j 共 ␤ , ␭, ␳ 兲 ⫺ 共 n ⫹ 1/2兲 ␲
AB
jump. In addition, the optical path V connecting the ⫺ H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲共 arctan ⌸ j ⫺ ␲ /2兲 ] m⫽0
points A and B after one reflection on the metallic sphere

冉 冊
is given by H共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲e jm ⌸j
⫽ ⫹ O共 m2兲 , (42)
AB b N 1 ⫺ ⌸ j2
V ⫽2 共 冑␣ ⫺ ␭ ⫺
2 2 冑␥ 2
⫺ ␭ 兲. 2
(38) m⫽0
␣
Thus, applying Eqs. (36) and (38) to the resonance crite-
AB
⌫⬇ 再冉 冊 冋
⳵⌽j
⳵␤
⫺1
H 共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲 sin 2⌽ j exp共 ⫺2⌿ 兲

冏 冏册 冎 冋
rion (constructive interference), kN V ⫽ 2n ␲ ⫹ ␭⍀, we
obtain that 1 ⫹ ⌸j
⫺ H 共 ␤ ⫺ ␭ 兲 ln ⫹ H共 ␭ ⫺ ␤ 兲

冉冊 冉冊
1 ⫺ ⌸j
␭ ␭ m⫽0
冑␣ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 ⫺ arccos ⫺冑␥ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 ⫹ arccos
冉 冊 册
⫽ n␲. ⫺1
␣ ␥ ⳵⌽j m m
(39) ⫻ sin 2⌽ j ⫻ ej ⫹ 2␤ ⫹ O共 m2兲,
⳵␤ m⫽0
N N
Note that the Bohr–Sommerfeld phase [Eq. (39)] is com-
pletely equivalent to Eq. (21) for Fabry–Perot-like modes. (43)
In addition, following Keller and Rubinow,29 and making
the analogy between the multiple reflections’ full optical where e j ⬅ 兵 关 (2␭ 2 ⫺ ␣ 2 ) ␦ j1 / ⫹ ␣ 2 ␦ j2 兴 /( ␣ 2 ⫺ ␭ 2 ) 其 m⫽0 .
path and a closed trajectory of a particle on a regular or a Approximation (43) suggests that, as we commented
star polygon with Ꭽ sides, the resonance rule [Eq. (32)] above, the resonance width increases linearly with m. In
gives that addition, transcendental equation (42) shows that absorp-
kN㜷 ⫺ 2 ␲ Ꭽ ␲ ⫽ ␭Ꭽ⍀, (40) tion effects on the resonance position are more pro-
nounced in BR modes than in NR ones. In Section 5 we
where 㜷 is the perimeter of the closed trajectory. We as- show some resonance calculations and interpret the re-
sociate the left-hand side of Eq. (40) with the sults on the basis of the present state of geometrical op-
classical-mechanics-like30 contribution to the resonance tics and the semiclassical framework.
rule [Eq. (32)], where we interpret the light as a particle
traveling with velocity c/N and the coated sphere as a
rigid-well annular billiard. Otherwise, the right-hand
side of Eq. (40) is the typical wave-optics term that takes 5. NUMERICAL RESULTS
into account the cavity’s curvature effects on the behavior On the basis of the above geometrical optics and semiclas-
of the resonant modes. On the other hand, applying the sical theories for resonant modes of a coated sphere, we
wave’s uncertainty principle ⌬k⌬r ⭓ 2 ␲ , we can esti- develop a numerical algorithm for calculation of the reso-
mate ␶, the mean lifetime of the light inside the dielectric nance position and width. This procedure permits us to
cavity. To this end, we observe that ⌬k ⬃ ⌬ ␤ /b ⬃ ⌫/2b calculate the resonant modes related to a wide range of
and ⌬r ⭐ c ␶ /N, where we are assuming that during the impact parameters. Here we adopt the impact param-
photon’s mean life ␶, the maximum allowed error in its po- eters related to partial waves in the range of 10.5 ⭐ ␭
sition is the total length of the perimeter of its trajectory. ⭐ 320.5. For fixed values of N, ␳, and ␭ a rough esti-
Thus, using resonance-width formula (27), we obtain that mate for resonance position is given by

␭ 关 arctan冑N 2 ⫺ 1 ⫺ H 共 N ⫺ ␳ 兲 arctan共 冑N 2 / ␳ 2 ⫺ 1 兲兴 ⫹ 共 n ⫹ 1/4兲 ␲

␤ n 共 ␭, ␳ 兲 ⬃ . (44)
冑N 2 ⫺ 1 ⫺ H 共 N ⫺ ␳ 兲 冑N 2 / ␳ 2 ⫺ 1
Bambino et al. Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 / J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 495

Although relation (44) does not depend on the polariza-
tion j and represents a crude estimation of resonance, it
can be used as initial guess to solve WKB transcendental
equation (18). If this procedure converges, the next step
of our algorithm is to use this last numerical WKB result
as an improved initial guess to solve Eq. (15).
In Section 4, we showed that a resonant mode can be
interpreted as a light ray whose trajectory inside the
spherical layer is a regular or star polygon such that the
constructive interference condition [Eq. (40)] is fulfilled.
In addition, we pointed out that for a NR mode ( ␤ ⬍ ␭)
the optical mechanism that traps the light in this
cavity is the TIR, such that this mode is excited by wave
tunneling. Figure 3 shows the behavior of these modes
for M and E waves (TE and TM polarization, respectively)
as well as the BR modes as a function of the ratio ␭/␤.
The graphs indicate the evolution of the Fabry–Perot (F)
and Mie (M)-like modes as ␳ varies. For instance, the top
two graphs ( ␳ ⫽ 1.1) suggest that all Mie-like modes are
resonances located below the barrier top, and the bottom
two graphs ( ␳ ⫽ 1.6) show that all Fabry–Perot-like
modes are above the barrier top resonances. In addition,
this figure confirms that in this framework the deeper
(␭ → N ␤ ) Mie-like modes are excited by tunneling of the

Fig. 3. Behavior of the resonance position ␤ when the ratio ␭/␤ varies, for N ⫽ 1.33, TE and TM polarizations, n ⫽ 0, 1 ,..., 6, and ␳
⫽ 1.1, N, 1.6. ␤ is the real part of the complex zeros of Eq. (15). For high values of ␭ the related deeper Mie-like resonance tends to
␤ ⬃ ␭/N.

Fig. 4. Behavior of the resonance width ⌫/2 when the ratio ␭/␤ varies, for N ⫽ 1.33, TE and TM polarizations, n ⫽ 0, 1,..., 6, and ␳
⫽ 1.1, N, 1.6. ⌫/2 is the imaginary part of the complex zeros of Eq. (15). For TE polarization the vertical axis is a logarithm scale,
whereas for polarization TM polarization the vertical axis is linear. Note that the narrow resonances have a behavior similar to expo-
nential decay, and the broad ones seem to tend to a fixed value. Moreover, for TM polarization the ⌫/2 width presents a peak in the limit
␭/ ␤ → sin ␪B , where ␪ B is Brewster’s incidence angle.
496 J. Opt. Soc. Am. A / Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 Bambino et al.

light rays whose impact parameter is close to the radius
of the outermost caustic (aplanatic sphere) r ⫽ Nb. In
general, these modes related to very high angular mo-
mentum ␭ have long mean life, and they propagate very
close to the internal surface of the spherical layer. A
rough estimate of the resonance position of these deeper
(␭ → N ␤ ) Mie-like modes is given by
Formula (46) shows that ␤ n is inversely proportional to
the width b ⫺ a ⫽ a( ␳ ⫺ 1) of the dielectric layer or the
effective well [Eq. (17)]. Thus as ␳ decreases, the dis-
tance between resonances with consecutive orders n ⫾ 1
increases, and the wavelength of the incident resonant
light has to be very small 兵 O 关 b( ␳ ⫺ 1) 兴 其 . This behavior
is qualitatively in accordance with the results shown in
Fig. 3.

␤⬃
␭
N
⫹
冑N 2 ⫺ 1
⑀ jN 2 冉 1⫹
1.0887
␭ 2/3
冊 . (45)
Figure 4 shows the resonance width ⌫/2 as the ratio ␭/␤
varies, for both polarizations. Notice that ⌫/2 is an in-
creasing function of n. In addition, as a result of the
On the other hand, in the opposite case of a thinner di- wave tunneling [see approximation (24)], the width of the
electric layer, the Fabry–Perot-like modes with ␳ → 1, re- resonances located below (impact parameters ␤ ⬍ ␭) the
lation (44), behave as top of the barrier, NR, decreases exponentially as the ra-

冋
tio ␭/␤ increases. On the other hand, for BR modes (reso-
␭ 冑N 2 ⫺ 1 nance above the barrier top with impact parameters ␤
␤ n 共 ␭, ␳ → 1 兲 ⬃ ⫹ ⬎ ␭), the resonance width is a well-behaved function of
N2 N 2共 ␳ ⫺ 1 兲
the ratio ␭/␤ [see approximation (24)], except in the

⫹
2N 2 ⫺ 3

2N 2 冑N 2 ⫺ 1
册 共 n ⫹ 1/4兲 ␲ .
Fig. 5. Exact numerical results obtained by solving transcen-
dental Eq. (15) with semiclassical estimate (27) for the resonance
width. The position at which the peak of ⌫/2 occurs is in accor-
dance with the position predicted by semiclassical formulas (27)
and (28).
(46)
E-wave case (TM polarization), where ⌫/2 has a maxi-
mum. Figure 5 suggests that for N ⫽ 1.33, n ⫽ 6, and
␳ ⫽ 1.6, ⌫/2 presents a pronounced peak at ␭/ ␤
⬇ N/ 冑1 ⫹ N 2 ⫽ sin ␪B , where ␪ B is Brewster’s incidence
angle 关 ␪ B ⫽ arctan N; see width formula (27)]. Thus in
this case the photon spends minimal time inside the cav-
ity.
Figures 6 and 7 show the absorption effects in the NR
and BR modes, respectively, for TE polarization, ␳ ⫽ 1.6,
index of refraction Ñ ⫽ 1.4 ⫹ im and family number n
⫽ 0, 2. The left-hand-side vertical axis ␤ of Fig. 6 sug-
gests that for NR modes ( ␤ ⬍ ␭) the resonance position
decreases quadratically with m [see Eq. (42)]. To confirm
the validity of this assumption, on the right-hand side we
plot ␤˙ , the derivative of the resonance position with re-
spect to m. The second graph in Fig. 6 suggests a linear
behavior of ln ⌫/2 against ln m, which is in accordance
with the WKB result [Eq. (43)]. In this graph, notice
that the linear best fit estimates the angular coefficient to
be 0.967. On the other hand, Fig. 7 suggests that for BR
modes ( ␤ ⬎ ␭), ␤, the resonance position, decreases lin-
early with m while the width ⌫/2 increases linearly

Fig. 6. Relative absorption effects in the resonance position and width for narrow resonance. In the left-hand graph, the right-hand-
side vertical axis shows ␤˙ , the values of the derivative of ␤ with respect to m. For NR modes, the resonance position ␤ and the width
⌫/2 vary quadratically and linearly, respectively, with m, in accordance with semiclassical statements (42) and (43).
Bambino et al.
Fig. 7. Absorption effects in broad resonances. Note that the resonance position ␤ seems to vary linearly with m as much as the width
⌫/2 does, in accordance with semiclassical statements (42) and (43).
with m. Both results are in accordance with semiclassi-
cal formulas (42) and (43). To conclude our discussion,
notice that both figures (6 and 7) suggest that the reso-
nance position is a decreasing function of m. In the
present semiclassical framework, we interpret this behav-
ior by observing that the height ⌬U ⫽ k 2 (N 2 ⫺ m 2
⫺ 1) of the effective barrier [Eq. (17)] decreases as m in-
creases; therefore in analogy with QM, the energylike pa-
rameter ␤ should also decrease as m increases.
6. CONCLUSIONS AND REMARKS
In this paper we studied the resonance of a coated spheri-
cal cavity on the basis of semiclassical and ray theories.
We showed that the semiclassical theory of resonances
can be connected with the ray theory if we interpret the
light as a particle trapped by an effective potential. For
example, in the case of resonant scattering, all semiclas-
sical formulas related to the calculation of resonance po-
sition can be derived on the basis of an interference ray
theory related to particle trajectories that are closed poly-
gons confined to an annular billiard [see Eqs. (35) and
(39) and Fig. 3]. Here we showed that narrow reso-
nances are related to internally reflected rays that make
an angle with the spherical surface that is greater than
the critical TIR angle (see Figs. 3 and 4). In addition, the
present ray theory permitted the physical interpretation
of a typical semiclassical result such as the resonance
width in terms of the energy loss that is due to the mul-
tiple reflections of the light inside a curved billiard [see
approximation (27)]. In this process, the polarization ef-
fects can be important. In other words, in TM polariza-
tion the related resonance width is largest if the incident
light reaches the outer dielectric spherical surface at
Brewster’s incidence angle (see Figs. 4 and 5). Moreover,
the present semiclassical framework gives a physical in-
Vol. 20, No. 3 / March 2003 / J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 497
terpretation [see Eqs. (42) and (43)] as well as permits the
calculation of the absorption effects in the resonant
modes (see Figs. 6 and 7). The absorption effects are im-
portant in atmospheric research on phenomena such as
radiative transfer in clouds.31 On the basis of the above
results, we think that the investigation of resonance phe-
nomena can be applied to the study of these effects in
aerosols. Finally, we put forward the proposition that
the present work bridges some properties of the semiclas-
sical framework and the results in the ray optics theory.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was partially supported by the Brazilian agen-
cies CNPq and Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado
do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ).
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