Scattering on Particles with Discrete Symmetries

Abstract

Particles in nature are found in countless different shapes, and we have little hope of computing optical properties of ensembles of particles by accounting for each and every individual geometry. Instead, we are often forced to solve the electromagnetic scattering problem by introducing approximations appropriate to describing the main physical and morphological features of the particles and their impact on the scattered field. In many applications we can achieve great simplifications by invoking symmetry assumptions about the particle geometry. Solutions with symmetry are particularly useful for numerical applications, since they help to substantially expedite numerical computations and to increase the stability of numerical algorithms.