arXiv · physics/0603198
Electromagnetic field correlations near a surface with a nonlocal optical response
Abstract
The coherence length of the thermal electromagnetic field near a planar surface has a minimum value related to the nonlocal dielectric response of the material. We perform two model calculations of the electric energy density and the field's degree of spatial coherence. Above a polar crystal, the lattice constant gives the minimum coherence length. It also gives the upper limit to the near field energy density, cutting off its $1/z^3$ divergence. Near an electron plasma described by the semiclassical Lindhard dielectric function, the corresponding length scale is fixed by plasma screening to the Thomas-Fermi length. The electron mean free path, however, sets a larger scale where significant deviations from the local description are visible.
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Carsten Henkel, Karl Joulain. 2006-03-23. Electromagnetic field correlations near a surface with a nonlocal optical response. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-006-2219-9
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