Electromagnetic wave propagation in an inhomogeneous medium: A perturbative approach

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Abstract
This paper is concerned with the scattering of electromagnetic radiation in an inhomogeneous polarizable medium. In particular, we are interested in scatterers whose positions are correlated and whose characteristic size is on the order of or less than a wavelength. The central problem is that of determining the electric and magnetic fields acting on a given scatterer in the medium. This is the effective wave that polarizes the scatterer, and its calculation is complicated by what are generally referred to as local field effects. Assuming that the scattering is weak, i.e., that the system deviates only slightly from being homogeneous, we are able to treat local field effects through second order in perturbation theory, and to derive explicit expressions for the scattered effective field and the dispersion relation satisfied by the coherent wave. The scattering cross section is derived and related to the attenuation of the coherent wave in an infinite medium. In addition, the diffractive effects due to scattering from a finite medium are discussed.

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