Abstract

We report a physical explanation for the phenomenon wherein the backscattering of light by dielectric particles of sizes between 100 and $1\mathrm{nm}$ is enhanced by 7–11 orders of magnitude. The phenomenon involves complex composite interactions between a dielectric microsphere and a nanoparticle positioned in close proximity to the microsphere. We provide both analytical and perturbation analyses that show that the enhanced backscattering intensity of a nanoparticle is proportional to the third power of its size parameter. Potential applications of this phenomenon include visible-light detection, characterization, and manipulation of particles as small as a few nanometers.

© 2006 Optical Society of America

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