The optical properties of a cloud of anisotropic dielectric particles when the orientational distribution is made nonrandom by interaction with an electrostatic field are studied. Since the interaction energy is determined by the polarizability of the particles, a general expression for the polarizability of nonspherical particles is worked out. In particular, we investigated the response to the electrostatic field of two different dispersions whose component particles are built as clusters of four identical spheres. Although in one cloud the clusters were shaped as linear chains, and in the other cloud the clusters were shaped as squares, the optical properties of both dispersions as a function of the static field are rather similar. There are, however, noticeable ranges of size within which the optical response of the two kinds of particles is substantially different.

© 1995 Optical Society of America

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