Evanescent light scattering: The validity of the dipole approximation

In near-field optics the very concept of dipole is often used to represent either an elementary source or a scattering center. The most simple and widely used example is that of a small spherical particle whose polarizability is assumed to conform to the Clausius-Mossotti relation. While in conventional, far-field optics this approximation is known to be valid provided that the object is much smaller than the wavelength, its extension to near-field optics requires some precautions. Indeed, in the case of the scattering, by a spherical object, of an evanescent field generated, for instance, by total internal reflection or by a surface polariton, the strong-field gradient may increase the con…